


Life Changes

by HunterEnough



Series: Just Another Roommate!AU [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic, Drunken Confessions, Dry Humping, M/M, Masturbation in Shower, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2019-10-05 17:45:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 38,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterEnough/pseuds/HunterEnough
Summary: Dean is almost 40, and he has nothing to show for his life, except maybe his job. He's single, living in a crappy apartment with a mooch roommate. When he finds himself home alone on New Year's Eve, again, he decides it's time to make some changes.





	1. Resolutions

**Author's Note:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- Title is from Thomas Rhett's song.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

****_ New Year’s Eve and I’m home alone.  _ Dean sighed and flopped onto his bed, face down, and yelled into his pillow. He rolled over onto his back and studied the ceiling for a minute. Almost forty, and not a damned thing to show for it. 

He always thought he’d be settled down by now. He’d have a house, maybe a pet or two, a family of his own. Instead, he was sharing a shitty third floor walk-up with a movie theater clerk who never had even part of his share of the bills and always stole his groceries. He’d taken to keeping a stash of granola bars at work, just so he’d be sure to get some breakfast.

Dean sighed and propped himself up against his headboard. Today was the day for making changes. New Year’s resolutions. He’d never really put much stock in it, had always been focused on just getting through day to day, and look where that had gotten him.

He grabbed the notebook off his nightstand. Can’t hurt to at least get an idea of what I need to do. The first few were easy.  _ Pretty sure half of America is making the same resolutions Winchester. _

  * Save Money
  * Exercise more
  * Eat better.



Stereotypical or not, he wasn’t getting any younger. He needed to start taking better care of himself. Maybe not just physically either.

  * Take time for myself



He’d never really been good at focusing on what he needed. First, it had been his baby brother; his dad had never been great at parenting, so a lot of that fell to Dean. All of it after his dad passed away when he was 20 and Sammy just 16. Taking care of Sammy and working had pretty much been his entire life for a couple of years. 

Then, once Sam was safely off to college and doing well, there’d been Lisa. Lisa and Ben. He’d thought for the first couple of years that he might actually love her, and he sure as hell loved her kid, but after a while, it had become a mess of responsibility and obligation. He’d stayed until Ben asked him why he always looked so sad. Leave it to his tween not-quite-step-kid to put his life into perspective. After 10 years, their separation had been quiet and relatively painless.

Lately, it’s been work and dealing with Garth’s bullshit. Garth was another responsibility passed on from his dad. The son of a friend. He’d always kinda looked out for Garth, in a general way. Then, Garth’s last girlfriend had kicked him out, and Dean had offered him the spare room. Garth hadn’t ever bothered to find a place of his own, nor had he ever bothered to start paying his way. Dean was pretty sure Garth didn’t bother with much besides smoking pot and whatever girl he was seeing this month. 

Yeah, it was about time he put some time into being his own person. Maybe now that Sam and Eileen's kids were out of diapers, they could do some family things. He never made the time to be a good uncle, and those kids were  _ smart _ . 

  * Spend more time with family.



He added the bullet point and went back to considering what he wanted to change  _ for himself _ . He was constantly working to be better at his job, and he knew he was good at it. The little auto shop where he worked was running more smoothly, and profitably, than ever since he’d become manager. Even Uncle Bobby had mentioned how proud he was to have him take over the family business, but outside work, there really wasn’t much to talk about.

  * Learn a new skill. 



_ Maybe I can learn to cook better. _ Sure, he’d done fine for Sam and for Garth. Sam had been a hungry teenager, willing to eat pretty much whatever Dean put in front of him, and Garth had a constant case of the munchies that made him even less picky. It was something that interested him, the idea of planning and preparing real meals. Though, the idea of cooking for one wasn’t all that appealing.

  * Keep a journal.



He’d had a class in high school where they had to keep a journal. It had helped him to process a lot of shit at home, and had helped him focus. He’d picked it up again for a while after his dad had died, but he’d let life get in the way again. Maybe if he’d kept up the habit, he wouldn’t have spent so much time drifting. Maybe he wouldn’t be almost forty, sitting at home alone on New Year’s Eve. Dean sighed.

  * Live life to the fullest. 



That was the big one. Mom, Dad, Aunt Karen, even his buddy Kevin, they’d all died unexpectedly. You never knew when your time was going to be up. He’d basically been living the same day over and over again since he was eighteen. Get up, go to work, come home, shower, have dinner, drink a beer, maybe watch some TV, then go to bed. It was boring and... _ lonely _ .

It was time for a change. A LOT of changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this is a little boring. What exactly defines a slow burn anyway? Just curious...


	2. Looking for a New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean checks out the local classifieds for a new apartment. Not the greatest prospects to be found, but maybe that one guy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes. (Yes, this is my second one today...)  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

****Dean spent New Year’s Day holed up in his room with his laptop, looking at rentals. His lease had ended months ago, so he was month to month now, and only owed his landlord two week’s notice of his intent to vacate. Getting Garth out might be a problem, but he had a new girlfriend right now, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

It took about ten minutes for him to realize that if he actually wanted to save some money, he was going to need to find another roommate. Maybe moving in with somebody who already had a place would mean better odds of them actually paying their share of the bills. Dean snorted.

The local rentals were...not looking that great.

> ** I am a 52 yr old single male, I smoke, drink, and have 420 card, looking 4 a male or female roommate, rent would b 575$ month, and will include all utilites, n internet, its a furnished room with tv, share bath, 3 bedroom, 1 bath mobile home, couples more, pets more, I have no pets, best 2 text, I don't check mail at all, n all fake # calls???  **

Really, that’s how the guy expected to find a roommate? Jesus Christ.

> ** Hello! I have a room available in a house that I have lived in for almost two years! The lease that I signed is up in June, but I am moving to Florida in one week. The rent is 340 a month and seeing as I am desperate for someone to take the room I am going to pay for the utilities while I am in Florida! You will be rooming with my sister, her girlfriend, and one other roommate who all keep to themselves and are very friendly! The room is fairly large with a closet for your belongings, and the rest of the house is well-furnished and very nice! The location is also a perk as it is very close to several shops and within walking distance to the bus station. The room is available ASAP as I leave to Florida in one week! Texting is the best way to reach me thank you for reading! **

That one didn’t look too bad. The idea of sharing a house with three other people was kinda intimidating, but the rent was cheap, and it would only be until June. Then again, he'd have to move in June.

He poked around. A lot of the places were dumps, or  even farther from work than his current place. One guy just sounded outright creepy. By noon, he’d gone through almost every post, and had a list of five possibilities. He clicked on one last post because the title caught his eye. “Looking for another responsible adult.”

> ** Male, 39, nurse, looking for a housemate. Spacious four bedroom house. Garage parking. Must be willing to help with household chores including shoveling and mowing lawn. Must be quiet in the morning, due to my work schedule. Must have proof of employment and pass a public records search. No tobacco, pets negotiable. For more details, please reply with your full name and phone number. **

The location was perfect, about two blocks from the shop. Dean knew that was a nice neighborhood. Plus, having a place to park his baby, and maybe store some of his tools safely was a bonus. He clicked on the the reply button and copied the address into a new email. He considered his response.

> ** Dean Winchester, 39, Manager at Singer Auto Repair. I’m quiet in the morning before work, and I’m out the door by 7. My current roommate is a slob, so I’m pretty used to taking care of the household chores. I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I had to shovel or mow, but I’m willing to do both. If you need more information for the public records check, let me know. Otherwise, I look forward to more details about the place. I can bring check stubs (as many as you want, I’ve been at the same place for over twenty years). Hope to hear from you soon, and Happy New Year. **

He reread the email, and added his phone number and an invitation to text him if desired, before hitting the send button.

He went through each of the postings on his list and sent out a quick note or text to each of them as well. He wasn’t expecting much of a response, given the holiday, but at least he felt like he'd the effort.

~~~~~

Surprisingly, by dinner, he’d heard back from almost everyone. One of the rooms was already taken, but he had appointments to see four of the others. Only the guy looking for a responsible adult, Dean’s personal best hope, hadn’t gotten back to him.

He just was sitting down with a beer when he got the last response in the form of a text message.

> ** Hello Dean. My name is Castiel. The rent is $500/month and includes all all utilities. If you would like to meet to see the house, I am available from 11-1 tomorrow and Thursday, or any time after 11 Friday through Sunday. I look forward to hearing from you. **

The rent was pretty reasonable, especially for a place close to work. It was definitely less than he was paying here while he was supporting Garth. The guy even _texted_ like a responsible adult. He replied immediately.

> ** Castiel, rent sounds good, but I’d really like to see the house. My lunch hour is at noon. I can be to your house about five after tomorrow if that works. **

He sat back and flipped to the Food Network. _Never too early to pick up some ideas._

Five minutes into an episode of _Chopped!_ And his phone dinged again.

> ** Thank you. That time is acceptable. Please bring six months of check stubs and your driver’s license. **

Dean pumped his fist in the air and took a celebratory drink of his beer before sending off a final message to Castiel.

> ** Great. I’ll see you shortly after noon then. Thank you! **

If he could get along with the guy, and the house wasn’t a trash heap, maybe he could be out of this dump before his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, editing is hard when you can't really see all of the code. I have no idea how this is going to look to you guys, and I'm sorry. Hopefully, the blockquoting doesn't get too tedious. I promise things get more interesting soon.


	3. Responsible Adults

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean gets a look at the way a responsible adult actually lives, and he really likes it. (Or maybe he just likes the responsible adult attached to the house he's looking at...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Dean’s morning seemed to drag by, probably because he was looking forward to meeting with Castiel and checking out his potential new living situation. He’d let Benny, his lead technician, know that he might be a bit late coming back. He’d set the map on his phone for Castiel’s address, and Google had informed him that it was a four minute drive. Wouldn’t that be a nice change from his current half hour commute. 

He pulled into the driveway at 12:04 exactly. The house was white with a dark grey foundation and trim. The walkway was shoveled, and everything looked well cared for. Dean climbed out of his car with his folder of check stubs and headed for the door. He knocked quietly before noticing the bell.  _ Shit, do I ring the bell? Should I wait? What if he didn’t hear me knock. _ His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. 

_ Holy fucking hell. _ This guy, the guy he might be living with, was everything Dean had wet dreams about. His faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt stretched softly over his tone chest, highlighted his biceps. His hands,  _ huge hands _ , cradled a steaming white mug with a bright yellow sun grinning from it. His dark jeans barely clung to his narrow hips, but they sure fit his muscled thighs well enough to make Dean drool. The face though, his face...perfect chiseled jaw, straight nose, fucking chapped looking red lips, all haloed by the most amazing sex hair he’d ever seen. But it was the eyes that held his attention. Intensely blue,  _ hundreds of shades of blue _ , just staring at him.

Dean realized the guy was probably staring at him because  _ he  _ was fucking staring. Like a dumbass. He cleared his throat, and offered his free hand.

“Dean Winchester.”  _ Smooth.  _ At least his voice didn’t crack.

The man quirked his lip and shook the offered hand. 

“Hello Dean. Castiel Novak. Nice to meet you. Come in.” He stepped back from the door to let Dean enter. He closed the door behind himself, and Cas gestured behind it. “You can take off your coat if you’d like.”

The entry was as orderly as the yard had seemed to be. A series of hooks hung behind the door, two covered by coats, with a shelf of totes above. Under it, stood a shoe rack, half filled with shoes, on a shallow drip tray which currently homed a pair of wet snow boots. Dean toed out of his shoes, glad that he’d opted for the steel toed shoes instead of his normal work boots this morning, and lined them up on the tray. He offered the folder he’d been holding out to the other man before taking his coat off and hanging it with the others. The folder found a home on the small side table, next to set of keys and a bowl of change. Another door, presumably to the garage, was just past the table.

“So, a tour? The main part of the house is pretty open.” Castiel gestured widely with his free hand.

“Sounds great. I love what I’m seeing so far.” It looked like all of the walls were the same soft blue-grey color with creamy white trim. It was practical, he supposed, for the big open space. It looked...peaceful.

Castiel stepped into the living room, and Dean noticed his bare feet sink into the plush carpet. There was a huge sectional, facing a gas fireplace with a widescreen TV mounted above it and floor to ceiling bookshelves on either side, both nearly full of books, movies, and photos, though again, everything looked well organized. An ottoman occupied the space in front of the couch, and two comfortable looking chairs formed the fourth corner. Overall, it looked like a great place to relax after work. Dean nodded.

“I don’t spend much time here, really, except on the weekends. By the time I get home from work, I’m ready for a shower and bed.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling. You said you have a funky schedule?”

“I work on the oncology ward at the hospital. The afternoon shift is 2- midnight.”

“Long days doing that kind of work.” Dean’s days were generally at least the same ten hours, but he didn’t have to deal with sick people. He’d been in hospitals enough to know that nurses worked hard, and often the work sucked.

Castiel shrugged. “Could be worse. A lot of hospitals run twelve hour shifts now, and I’ve got seniority, so I get the Monday-Thursday schedule. Always a three day weekend. It helps that I love my job.” He walked around the couch as he was talking, and Dean followed. “This is the dining room. I use it even less than the living room actually.”  He bypassed the long dark wood table and chairs to move into the kitchen. “When I do actually sit down to eat, I usually eat at the island.”

The kitchen was gorgeous. Dean imagined it could be featured in one of those home-decorator magazines he kept in the lobby for his customers. There were miles of granite counter top over dark wood cabinets. A bank of upper cabinets was balanced on one end by the wide stainless steel refrigerator, and on the other by the professional looking stove and hood. A half-full coffee pot was set next to the refrigerator, but very little else cluttered the space.

“I cook a little, but cooking for one sucks. I want to get better at it though, it’s one of my resolutions.” Dean moved further into the kitchen.

“My cooking is generally limited to scrambled eggs, toast, cold sandwiches, and spaghetti with jarred sauce, so you’re probably ahead of me already.” He pulled open a narrow drawer on the island. “I’ve got menus for every delivery and takeout place in town though.” He grinned as he waved down at the collection. “I promise not to touch anything on your side of the refrigerator though. You don’t have to worry about me stealing your leftovers.”

“Noted. Definitely an improvement over my current roommate. I’m lucky if he leaves anything for me to eat, even though I do all of the grocery shopping.”

“Ahh, I had an ex like that. Always hungry, but never bothered to actually buy food.” He shook his head.

Dean just grunted in agreement, and they moved into the hallway.

“Unfortunately, there’s only one full bathroom.” He opened the first door on the left. “Fortunately, it is very well equipped.”

“No shit!” Dean had stepped into the huge room. “Sorry, it’s just, I’ve never seen a bathroom like this outside of a fancy hotel.” The shower was walled in pristine white subway tiles, the open side a wall of glass. Towel hooks were mounted to the front. He could count at least four shower heads, plus the rain fall head above. One of the two shelves in the shower was half full of bottles, but the other was empty.

“It’s probably my favorite room. Sometimes, after a particularly bad day, I like to take a soak before bed.” He gestured at the deep soaker tub. 

“Oh my God, that sounds awesome.” After a day hunched over his desk doing paperwork, his entire back felt like one giant cramp.

Cas nodded, then gestured at the double sink. “This sink would be yours.” He indicated the one by the toilet. “It has a medicine cabinet behind the mirror.” He popped it open showing several empty shelves before closing it again. “I keep my towels and washcloths in the bottom drawer, and cleaning supplies under my sink, but you’re welcome to the rest of the space. 

Dean smiled at the idea that he’d already been accepted. “Given our schedules, I doubt we’ll have much trouble balancing bathroom times. Sounds like I’m out the door before you’re up and you’re gone before I get home.”

“Yes. Should make it easy to keep from fighting over the shower.” He grinned over his shoulder as he stepped back into the hall. 

“This is a guest bathroom,” he opened the first door on the opposite side of the hall revealing a toilet and small vanity, “So we really only have to share with overnight guests.” He opened the next door. “And this is the guest room. It’s a little small, but occasionally one of my siblings comes in for the weekend to visit. You’re welcome to use it for guests as well, if you’d like. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to put in on the house calendar so we don’t end up double booking.”

The guest bedroom, though Castiel had called it ‘small’ offered a queen bed, a wide dresser, and a double closet. It was pretty much what he’d imagined renting. Dean shrugged. “My family lives pretty close, so I don’t really have anybody who would need to spend the night. Unless, I become clinically insane and offer to have my nephews overnight, but I really don’t see that happening.”

“They’d be welcome on the weekend. How old are they?” He’d pulled the door closed again and moved further down the hall. 

“Three and five. We’re celebrating full potty training and no accidents now. Very exciting.”

“Oh, that is!” His grin was something else, and Dean couldn’t help but smile back as he opened the door to the next room. “This is the den.” He stepped inside. It was clearly a converted bedroom, similar in size to the guest room, with the same closet. A desk sat on each wall, one with papers stacked on top, each with a plush rolling chair tucked under it. In the corner by the closet, there were two wide arm chairs and a coffee table. Castiel had moved to the closet and swung it open. “I actually have several nieces and nephews myself, so there’s a stash of stuff in here just in case.” Dean noted several labeled totes, ‘coloring,’ ‘blocks,’ and ‘vehicles’ caught his eye before the door was closed and Castiel was moving back to the desk. He tapped at a whiteboard mounted above it. “This is the house calendar. Basically, I just use it to organize bills, etc. But if we’re having guests, that’s probably a good thing to note as well. And I keep a running grocery list. I thought maybe we could take turns picking up the standard household things, toilet paper, coffee, etcetera, but if you prefer, we can do it a different way.”

“No, that sounds fine. I usually shop on Saturday, unless something comes up in the meantime, and I don’t mind picking up whatever.”

They wandered back into the hall and to the final two doors, both open. “These are the twin masters.” He walked into the room on the right, indicating for Dean to follow. “This one is mine. Sorry, I haven’t gotten to laundry.”

The room was huge, with an unmade made king sized bed, a pair of dressers, and again, what looked like a very large closet. The mentioned hamper was tucked into the corner by the dressers, and that and the mussed bedding were about the only thing he’d seen in the house that was disorderly. Still, it was the little sitting area that caught Dean’s attention. Again he felt like he’d stepped into a high end hotel. A wide chair with a matching ottoman was tucked into the corner, flanked by bookcases, and a small rolling table was positioned over one arm holding a laptop.

“Judgement free zone.” Dean lifted his hands. “Besides, I was kind of starting to wonder if you kept a maid or something. The whole place is spotless.”

“It’s not too hard, since I rarely have time to mess it, but I do look forward to splitting the chores.”

“Is that the only reason you’re looking for a roommate? I mean I dated a nurse once, and he made as much as me at least.” Dean blushed a little, well, that hadn’t really been how he’d meant to bring up the fact that he was bi, but now that it was out, he supposed it would be good to know how Castiel would react.

“Honestly, that’s definitely part of it. I bought this house a couple of years back, with the intention of starting a family. My partner at the time, didn’t have the same ideas, which I found out when I found him in the hot tub with his assistants. Plural. I love the house, I really do, but it it’s just so big for just me. It gets...lonely.”

Dean huffed out a breath. OK, so he was either gay or bi himself, one thing less to worry about, but that sounded like a really rough breakup. “Man, I’m sorry. That really sucks. My last real breakup was pretty amicable, but I’d gotten pretty close to her kid, so that sucked. Still, at least you got to keep the house, and it really is awesome. I wound up in a shitty third floor walkup.”

“So did Fergus.” Castiel chuckled and led Dean back to the door. “This place was always mine. At any rate, this one would be yours. It’s the same as mine, just opposite. I didn’t ask, do you have furniture?”

The room looked even bigger empty. “I have some, but seeing your room, I think I might get some new stuff. I can call it doing something for myself and tag it as part of my resolutions.” He grinned at the other man. His bedroom set was nice enough, and he loved his memory foam mattress, but the idea of upgrading to a king sized bed, of actually having all of his bedroom furniture match, it was definitely appealing. 

Castiel grinned. “I donated everything that was here when Fergus moved out. It was cathartic. New furniture for my fresh start. I wouldn’t mind going with you, it can be a little tedious on your own.”

“I have a feeling I don’t want to get on your bad side. I might come home to find all my crap on the front lawn.”

Castiel laughed out loud. “Don’t fuck your barely legal assistants in the hot tub, and we should be fine.” He turned and started back down the hall.

“I’d have bigger problems than you to deal with if I did that. Benny, my lead technician, has been married for a long time, and his old lady can be downright scary in that Stepford wife kind of way. Charlie, my left-hand girl, is a gold-star lesbian, and I’m pretty sure she’d kill to protect her record.” He was teasing, but both were facts he didn’t want to ever test.

“One less thing to worry about then. Emptying the hot tub is a bitch.” He opened a door in the entryway that Dean hadn’t noticed before, and flipped on a light before heading down a flight of stairs.

The basement, at least the half that he could see from the bottom of the stairs, was finished, and as well maintained as the upstairs, if a lot more industrial looking. At the bottom of the stairs, the laundry area occupied a length of the wall, with a matching high-efficiency washer and dryer set, a deep wash sink between them, a long stainless steel counter for folding, a bar for hanging clothes, and wall mounted drying rack and ironing board.

“I usually do my laundry on Sunday afternoon, but I don’t mind negotiating that. I could probably do it Friday while you’re at work.”

Dean shook his head. “No worries. I like to do mine in the morning, usually Saturday, but sometimes I slack until Sunday. I can have it out of the way by noon, no problem.”

Castiel nodded and gestured to the rest of the room. “The basement is sound proofed, so you don’t have to worry about making noise down here while I’m sleeping.” The rest of the room was clearly used as a home gym. The floor was covered in thick rubber mats, and there was a treadmill, an elliptical, a weight bench with a rack of weights, and an exercise ball. The other half of the room was clear except for a small tote, though there was a TV mounted on the wall surrounded by several full length mirrors. “You’re welcome to use any of the equipment of course. I practice yoga, so there’s blocks and straps and stuff in the tote if you’re interested. Otherwise, there rest of the basement is mostly unfinished. It’s sealed, but that’s about it. You can use it for storage if you want. I have Christmas stuff stuck in there.” Cas shrugged. “I guess that’s about it. Hot tub is on the back deck, the yard is fenced in and completely private. Oh, the garage. You run an automotive shop, I’m sure you’re interested.”

“You say that like you aren’t.”

“Well, I enjoy not having to scrape the ice off of my windows.” It was said with a small smile. He led them back upstairs and to the other door in the entry.

“This is the door I usually use.” He pulled it open and stepped down into the garage. There was a blue SUV parked in the spot closest to the door, with the area in front of the other door empty. The garage was deeper than he’d expected, probably big enough to park two cars lengthwise, though the area in front of the SUV was occupied by a large work bench. “I don’t really use anything in here except the freezer.” He indicated an upright freezer near the door. “You can use the workbench if you want. Unfortunately, the snowblower died in the middle of that last big storm, so we’re stuck shoveling.”

“Or, you tell your mechanic housemate that the snow blower’s broken, and he fixes it.” He was grinning like a clown, he was sure, but the place was perfect, close to work, amazing space, great housemate and a  _ heated garage _ . Seriously, could it get any better?

“So you like it?”

“Dude, it is perfect. I’m not convinced you’re not a serial killer it’s so nice and the rent is so affordable, but at this point, I think I might be willing to help you bury a body or two for a chance to live here.”

“Awesome. You’re the first person that’s answered the ad that I think I’d actually  _ like _ to share a house with.” He glanced at his watch “I really need to get ready for work, but I can give you a copy of the lease to read over, and you can text me with questions. I can’t always answer right away, but I usually get a few minutes here or there. When were you looking to move in?”

“Honestly, unless you ask for my firstborn as deposit, I’ll put notice in tomorrow, so within the next two weeks if that’s OK?”

Cas was nodding. “Anytime. We can work out the details this weekend.” They’d moved back to the front door.

“Thanks so much for showing me this place, Castiel. This is exactly what I was hoping for.” 

Cas glanced at the contents of the folder Dean had given him earlier, and added a sheaf of papers, and waited until he’d put his shoes and coat back on before handing it to him. “My friends call me Cas, and since I’m looking forward to sharing a house with you, I’m hoping you’ll fall into that category.” He offered Dean a hand to shake.

“Can’t wait Cas. I’ll shoot you a text if anything comes up with the lease, otherwise, I’ll plan on giving you a call Friday after work. Sound good?” He didn’t really want to leave, now that he was here, but he had to get back to work as well. He took the offered hand, and shook if firmly.

“Sounds good. Have a great afternoon Dean.” He moved to hold the door open.

“You too Cas.” He waved as he headed to his car.

He was actually looking forward to canceling the other appointments he’d made. No way could he get a better deal than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in, and they finally meet. Can you actually imagine a meeting between these two that doesn't involve some kind of awe on Dean's part?
> 
> P.S. The description of Cas was very inspired by this magnificent piece of art (https://www.redbubble.com/people/jackiedeeart/works/35675771-sunshine?c=408643-supernatural). That's a redbubble link becuase I firmly believe everyone needs this in their house.
> 
> P.P.S Sorry about the gratuitous amounts of house description. I'm hoping it will help in the coming chapters to know your way around.


	4. Squee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because Charlie. 
> 
> Or the one where Dean and Cas are manhandled skillfully by an expert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :) Soon, I promise!  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes. (Yes, this is my second one today...)  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

**** Charlie is definitely one of Dean’s best friends. She was his first hire as shop manager over eight years ago, and they’ve been tight pretty much from the beginning. She is not well known for downplaying her enthusiasm. Subtlety is not her strength. She has a way of learning your secrets and using them to advantage, both yours and her own. And, she’s waiting for Dean when he walks back into the shop, a mere 15 minutes late.

One look, and she’s making that noise. Dean’s familiar with it, having first heard it when he offered her the office assistant position (now office manager, so Dean only has to hunch over his desk once in a while), and many,  _ many _ times since.

“So, Boss, the place is as awesome as you hoped?”

“How can you even tell that? I literally just walked in.”

“You’ve got that look.” She wiggled her fingers in the general vicinity of his face. “You either loved the place or the guy was dreamy.”

Dean did  _ not _ blush.

“Oh Em Gee! He is! But the place is still great too, right?” Her enthusiasm was only slightly banked by concern, and she’d claimed a tight grip on his forearm. Dean wiggled the folder in the same hand.

“Yes, Your Highness, the place is great. It’s huge, the bedroom is like the size of my apartment, the kitchen looks like it belongs in a magazine, and everything’s  _ clean _ . The garage is  _ heated _ .”

“Oooh, betcha Baby’s gonna like that.”

Dean nodded. “There’s a laundry room in the basement, and a gym, and a hot tub on the deck, the yard is fenced for privacy, and the bathroom…” Dean groaned. “There’s a friggin’ amazing shower with like six shower heads AND a soaker tub.”

“And Mr. Dreamy housemate?”

Again, Dean did not blush, it was just warm in the office after being outside for  _ four whole minutes _ . “He’s an oncology nurse at the hospital and he’s mostly looking for somebody to share the household responsibilities. He has that pro-kitchen, but he doesn’t cook. He mentioned a couple of times that I should plan to have people over, as long as they aren’t loud in the morning, and he has a great sense of humor.” Dean thought about Cas’ comment regarding the draining of the hot tub.

Thankfully, Charlie let the ‘Dreamy’ part of the conversation go. “So, when are you moving?”

“I’ve got to kick Garth out, put in my notice, read the lease and buy some furniture. I figure we can get it done next weekend?”

“That’s a daunting list of tasks for a week and a half. I mean, I know you’re like Clark Kent, but I’ve met Garth. Give me the lease, you know it’s better if I read through it anyway. Why do you need new furniture?”

Dean was used to Charlie’s ability to bundle several parts of a conversation in one. He didn’t even blink. He handed over the folder. “Garth has had five years to find his own place, it took me, literally one day; I’ll tell him that. Can you please make sure these copies of my check stubs get shredded, I think he just wanted to make sure I could produce them on request. The lease is in the folder too, thanks for looking at it for me, you’re way more likely to find something hinky than I am.”

“And the furniture?”

“New me, new stuff.” He shrugged. “And the room is awesome. Cas has a little sitting area in his, and I want to have the same thing so I can just veg in my room if I want. He said he’d go with me because furniture shopping can be ‘tedious.’ I was thinking maybe you and I could start with the bedding and towels and stuff, and then he could join us for the furniture store?”

“I get to meet him! Before you move in! Yes, I should definitely meet him before you move in. Tell him that you can’t move in unless I approve him first. If that scares him off, you can’t keep him.”

“Ummm, I think if anything he’s gonna decide whether or not to keep me. His house is amazing.”

“Fine. When you ask him to come furniture shopping, you can tell him you’ll bring the lease and the check. That way, I can meet him before you hand it over, just in case.”

“Fine.” He made sure to put on his best  _ I’m so done _ face, but secretly, he really did hope they got along.

“So, slightly less fun question. Are you in the closet or out with Cas the Dreamy.”

“Oh my God Charlie, please don’t call him that. But, you’d be proud of me, I’m out. Sort of accidentally mentioned an ex boyfriend. He told me about finding  _ his _ ex in the hot tub with his assistants and kicking his ass to the curb, so he’s good with it.”

Charlie’s grin was fucking huge. “So he’s hot  _ and _ you managed to  _ accidentally _ determine that he likes boys too. Well played boss.”

Okay, maybe he blushed. “It really was an accident. It just slipped out. He could have killed me or something, you know, he’s at least as big as I am.”

“Respectfully, Mr. Winchester,” whenever she pulled out that phrase, whatever followed was either to be taken as gospel or complete crap, “I trust that you have better people skills than to put yourself into a dangerous position.”

True, he hadn’t gotten the homophobic douchecanoe vibe from Cas at all. Dean merely nodded.

“Good, now, I’m going to get Sam on the phone so we can go over this lease quick. You should go see if Benny and Art are gonna be free for you impromptu moving party. We can call Bobby and the girls later.”

Dean growled, but Charlie was already closing to the door to the back office behind her.

~~~~~

He’d gotten home in a pretty great mood. Charlie, with the help of his brother, had given her seal of approval on the lease, Benny and Art would  _ of course _ help him move, with them, and leaving his furniture, it would probably take less than one trip to be honest, and Bobby was ‘pleased as punch’ that Dean was ‘finally making that boy get his own life instead of taking care of it for him.’” Jody and Donna had promised to bring food and Sam promised to leave the boys at home with Eileen, even though Dean insisted he’d have more than enough help. 

“Dean, just let me have this. Do you know when the last time I got to hang out with  _ adults _ was? Away from work? No? Neither do I.” Dean had thanked him for the help and hung up the phone.

Dean’s conversation with Garth later that night was much less pleasant. 

“Jesus Christ Dean, how am I supposed to find someplace to live in less than two weeks?”

True to his word, Dean didn’t hold his punches. “It literally took me less than twenty four hours to find a new place that’s nicer, cheaper, and closer to my work. You’ve had over five years, Garth. Fucking figure it out.”

Garth had stomped to the closet and grabbed his coat and a duffel bag on the way to his room. “Fine, you want me out so bad, I’ll get my stuff and go.”

“That’s my...nevermind. I’ll need your key too.” Dean didn’t care enough about the duffel bag to complain. Garth had shown up with a trash bag full of clothes and a half empty bottle of whiskey. The duffel bag was a small price to pay to just have him gone. 

Five minutes later, the key was whipped at his head as Garth made his way to the door.

“See you around Garth.”

“Not fucking likely Winchester. Lose my number.”

Garth’s number changed just about monthly, so Dean didn’t really have a good comeback for that. It didn’t matter because Garth had slammed the door immediately after saying it.

Dean slumped onto the couch for a minute, before hauling himself upright again. He had lists to make, and furniture to dream about online, and a new budget to plan. That required a beer and his new journal.

~~~~~

> **Hello Dean. I hope your week is going well. I was wondering if you had any questions about the lease? I’m not trying to rush you, I just caught a minute to take a break, and I thought of you, so I wanted to be sure you weren’t waiting until tomorrow out of courtesy to my work schedule.**

Good grief, how the guy could sound flustered, polite, and  _ fucking adorable _ all at once was beyond him. Dean immediately put him out of his misery.

> **Sorry! I just had a busy day. Charlie seized the l lease as soon as I got back to the office and went over it with my brother (he’s a lawyer). They gave it their stamp of approval, so we’re good. I was thinking we could meet at the furniture store on Saturday if you’re still willing to volunteer. I could give you the lease and my check then?**

Dean wasn’t sure how to bring up the fact that he was going to be having an impromptu party on his very first day in the house yet. His phone dinged again.

> **So you’ve decided to move in? That is excellent. I’ll take the ad down immediately. We can take care of the paperwork at your convenience. I’d be happy to meet you for furniture shopping. The place on Herald has a great selection of in-stock furniture, and I found their prices to be very reasonable. My presence will make it easier to coordinate delivery as well, I think. Will you be needing help to get moved in otherwise? I have a small trailer in the shed that I can pull with my truck.**

Dean scoffed. That SUV was  _ not _ a truck, but he’d let it go. Cas had given him the perfect opening anyway.

> **Actually, I’ve kind of gotten manhandled into a moving party. I hope it’s ok. I promise we won’t show up before noon. Once Charlie gets her teeth in something it’s best to keep out of her way. You’ll see what I mean when you meet her. But, there might be like 6 or 8 people around, and some of them offered to bring food. I can head them off if you’d rather not meet them all at once.**

He waited for Cas’ response nervously. He understood if they guy didn’t want his house invaded all at once, but on the other hand, he wanted his friends to see his new place and meet his new housemate. In fact, he was  _ desperately _ hoping that they’d all get along.

> **It sounds like a very efficient move. I’m always happy to have food that I didn’t have to order or microwave, and I look forward to meeting your people. I assume that if this works out well, I’ll be seeing them around in the future. I’m particularly interested in meeting Charlie. She sounds like somebody I’d like. :)**

Dean grabbed his pen and double underlined the note he had in his journal (Okay, so it was part journal and part planner, did it really matter if it helped keep him on track in both ways?) about asking Jody what she was bringing so he could plan a grocery trip. He’d wanted to be sure there was enough food for everyone  _ without  _ having to call for pizza.

> **I don’t have people over very often. I’ve been in the same crappy apartment for a long time, so we usually end up at someone else’s house when we get together, but maybe that will change. Thank you so much for being gracious on such short notice. You’ll get to meet Charlie on Saturday, by the way, so you’ll still have time to back out after you meet her. :)**

He didn’t generally use emojis, but Cas had, so what the hell, why not. Besides, he really was wearing a little smiley face.

> **Just to be clear, which day are we planning for?  I don’t generally require much notice to be at least conscious for a party, but now you’ve got me a little worried.**

Jesus. He hadn’t even managed to tell his prospective landlord when he intended to move in. Smooth move Winchester.

> **Sorry!! I was thinking next Saturday (the 12th) but I can change it if I need to. I haven’t turned in my notice yet and my rent is already paid through the end of the month. I won’t get that back either way I’m betting.**

Given the way that Garth had trashed the place, he could probably expect not to get his deposit back either unless he worked some miracles on the place.

> **No! That’s perfect. Also, I’m guessing your brother would probably be a good resource for getting your rent prorated, even if only as a threat. Sorry, I’m getting called to a patient room. Let me know if you think of anything else, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a good night Dean.**

Dean smiled at his phone. Even in a rush, Cas had taken the time to be _nice_.

> **I’ll keep in touch. I hope your shift goes well. Good night Cas.**

He set his phone down and picked his pen back up. Cas had made a good point. His landlord didn’t know Sam practiced family law, and it was worth asking Sam about anyway. He made a note about finding his old lease and calling Sam, then got back to the fun list he was working on: ‘New Things for the New House.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I LOVE Charlie. She is my perfect woman. She so smart and pretty, and I just know she'd run Dean's life pretty much without him ever realizing it. I know for sure I'd let her run mine. Just saying.


	5. Three Musketeers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean goes shopping with Cas and Charlie. I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes. (Yes, this is my THIRD one today...)  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Charlie demanded an  _ entire day _ of shopping. She’d caught one little peek at his shopping list, and determined that it required breakfast, a home goods store, then lunch, then the furniture store, then hopefully a sneak preview of the new house, then dinner.

Fortunately, Charlie didn’t like to start her weekends at the ass crack of dawn like Dean did, so he still managed to get all of his personal items from the living room packed. With a few texts between he and Cas (It was after 8 and Cas texted first!) he even managed to get most of his non-essential kitchen packed up, though most of that was going to be donated, and add some fun new kitchen items to his list. 

After a quick breakfast at the diner near Charlie’s house. (Yes, Dean, an hour and a half is a quick breakfast on a Saturday.) They were finally headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond. When they’d been in there for an hour and hadn’t even managed to make it out of the kitchen section, and had recruited another cart, Dean shot Cas a text to let them know that they might be running a little late. Charlie just grinned.

Finally, shortly after 2, they’d finally managed to check off all of the items on Dean’s list. He  _ might _ have gone a little pale at the total, but it  _ was _ two carts full of stuff, and he  _ was _ trying to do something nice for himself. Besides, without having to support Garth, he’d make it all back in a month easily. And those bath sheets were so huge and  _ fluffy _ . 

They decided to forgo lunch, they did have a late breakfast after all, in favor of meeting Cas at the furniture store. Dean was pretty sure it was just because Charlie was getting antsy about meeting Cas, but he couldn’t deny he was a little nervous himself, so he let it go. Besides, maybe they  _ could _ talk him into joining them for dinner as a thank you for helping them shop.

Despite the fact that they were early, Cas had beaten them to the furniture store, and was waiting just inside the door. 

Charlie walked up to him, literally leapt into a koala hug with all arms and legs attached, and announced “We’re going to be besties. I can tell already.”

Dean definitely blushed. He stammered an apology to Cas, who looked amused.

“Dude, that could have been any stranger. You can’t just walk up to guys and jump on them. That’s NOT cool.”

“Respectfully, Mr. Winchester, I could tell by the dopey grin on your face that it was him. Besides, Cas doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Castiel. You should call him Castiel until he tells you otherwise. It’s polite.”

Cas, who had been watching the interchange with a slightly cocked head and a deepening grin, chose that moment to interrupt. “Dean, I think my best friend is allowed to call me Cas if she wants.”

Charlie looked smug, and Dean definitely wanted to hide behind the nearest couch. 

Cas laughed. “Hello Dean. Good to see you again. I’m guessing this is your left-hand-girl Charlie?” He offered Dean a hand to shake.  _ See, this is how this should have gone. _

“Cas, glad you could make it. Yes, this insane little monkey is Charlie, though I might have to rethink the left-hand-girl part until I’ve gotten her people trained again.”

He stretched his hand out to Charlie with another grin. “Charlie, wonderful to meet you. Dean normally speaks very highly of you.”

Charlie shook his hand like a  _ normal _ person and pretended to preen shyly, earning another chuckle from Cas and an exasperated head shake from Dean.

“Let’s get the going then, shall we?”

They headed off to the bedroom section. Charlie was, mercifully quiet when the sales clerk approached them until Dean told the man that he was looking for an entire new bedroom set with a King sized bed. Cas, helpfully produced a tablet with a little gridded, dimensionally to scale room with various pieces of furniture. When he started to discuss wood choices with Charlie, the sales clerk looked at Dean, nonplussed. Dean just shrugged and let them take the lead. Charlie knew his tastes, and Cas knew what he needed for the space, so between the two of them, they were probably better suited to the task then he was.

They dragged Dean, usually physically, around to every set they thought might work. Finally settling on a modern looking dark wood set. Cas studiously measured each piece and compared it to his scale model to confirm that it would fit nicely before nodding at Dean, who nodded at the sales clerk.

“So, you’d like all the pieces? Both dressers, the bed frame, and the nightstands?”

“Yup.” Dean popped the p.

“I can write you up at the counter.”   
  
“Actually, we still need a few more things. Why don’t we wander, and we’ll give you a holler when we’ve found the rest?” Charlie had slipped her arm through Cas’ and now had drawn Dean into the chain as well. The clerks eyebrow shot up, but he nodded demurely and started taking down the numbers of the items they’d mentioned.

Charlie led them, still linked at the arm, to the section of arm chairs. When they were out of earshot of the clerk Dean leaned in.

“What’s this all about?” He wiggled his arm. Charlie giggled. Actually giggled.

“I’m guessing your gold star enjoys giving the impression that she keeps both of us on our toes.” Cas wiggled his eyebrows at Dean over Charlie’s head.

“Jesus Christ Charlie. I really can’t take you anywhere.” He would have pulled his arm away, but Cas hadn’t made a gesture of complaint, so he didn’t bother.  _ Why cause a scene now _ ?

“I think he likes the idea of the three of us bouncing around in that big old bed. Besides, what did you think would happen when you came in here announcing you need furniture and then let us do the shopping?”

Dean just groaned.

They made quick work of finding the rest of Dean’s furniture, mostly by having Cas point out the pieces that he’d used in his own room, grabbed the little ‘show me to a sales associate’ tags from them, and went up to the counter to find the missing sales clerk.

To his credit, the man didn’t even blink when Dean paid for the lot and Cas took over to schedule the delivery. If he really did believe they were in an established threesome? triad? What did you call a three person relationship anyway? Regardless, he did a remarkable job of taking it in stride. Still, Dean was truly glad to be leaving the store.

Once they were back in the parking lot, Charlie turned to Cas. “So, Dean’s car is packed with stuff for the house, and we were hoping you wouldn’t mind him dropping it off. Doesn’t really make sense to lug it all up to his old apartment.”

“Don’t even try. I know you just want to get a look at the place. You’re lucky I like you.” He turned to Dean to continue. “You’re welcome to of course. I’ll open the garage so we don’t have to track through the snow a hundred times.”

“Oh, and I have the lease and that check for you. I forgot about it, but it’s in the glove box. Did you want it now?”

“You can give it to me at the house.”

Dean nodded and they split into their separate cars. As soon as they were alone, Charlie whispered to Dean, “I like him, you can keep him.”

Dean just rolled his eyes.  _Thank God they got along._


	6. House Warming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's crew helps him get moved into his new home. (Every moving day should be this smooth!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- I'm calling this the my first prompt fill for my "Roommates" square (O24), though technically, this whole mess is that.  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

**** Moving day dawned sunny and warm (well, 32, so warm for January), and Dean sent out a little prayer of thanks to the universe for his good luck. Given that he was up at five, just like any other morning, he had plenty of time to review all of his checklists before his friends started to arrive.

Checklist #1, Things to Donate. He’d gotten everything boxed last night except the sheets on his bed, and those would have to wait until after they were washed. All of the boxes were near the door, ready to go down to the Impala. The landlord had said he could leave whatever furniture he wanted to, and it wouldn’t ding his security deposit, so he was good there. 

Checklist #2, Things to Pack. Again, he’d had a solid start, having worked on anything he could throughout the week. The cleaning supplies were unpacked, but he figured he’d just toss whatever was left when he’d finished cleaning the apartment. His laundry, stuffed into a duffel bag this morning, had been the last to go. He’d even done a little celebratory dance as he’d tossed his last ratty towel, looking forward to his new bathroom gear.

Checklist #3, Things to Clean. This one was about half marked. He’d scrubbed down the kitchen and the bathroom, and washed about half of the walls in the apartment. He’d rented a rug cleaner last night, but had wanted to wait until everything was moved out to actually clean the rugs. Overall, the place looked pretty good, but he wanted to scrub out the cabinets and finish the walls before he called it good. Garth’s room would probably take a few passes with the rug cleaner. He didn’t even want to  _ think _ about what might be on those floors.

Checklist #4, Things to Do on Moving Day. This was the critical one. He had a game plan complete with schedule. Charlie, Benny, and Art were supposed to show up at 11. If each of them took two trips down, they could get the stuff to donate loaded up and he could run it over to the local thrift shop while the others got started on hauling the stuff he was taking to the new house (a few boxes of books, a box of movies, his TV, his clothes, and maybe a few personal things) into Benny’s truck. They could finish cleaning the house, trash out last, and Benny and Art could drop off the rug cleaner while he and Charlie went grocery shopping. If all went to plan, they’d meet up at the shop with the others, and head over to the house by about 3. Shouldn’t be a problem to get his furniture assembled and get everything organized at the new house, with the number of people there, so hopefully by 5, they’d be able to actually hangout and eat dinner and maybe watch a movie. That part kind of depended on how Cas was feeling about having his whole crew hang out for a while. 

Checklist #5, Groceries. Donna had made a lasagna (Dean’s absolute favorite), and Jody was doing ‘the fixings’. He’d been assured that there would be more than enough food for everyone, so that was one less thing to worry about. Still, he was essentially re-provisioning his kitchen. Cas kept some basic condiments, but otherwise, if he wanted to eat something he didn’t have to call somebody for, he was pretty much on his own. He intentionally didn’t keep much in the house with Garth around, and what was here wasn’t actually worth taking to the new house. Even with the chaos that could sometimes be shopping with Charlie, it shouldn’t take more than an hour in and out of the store. 

He took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. It was barely after 6, so he had 5 hours to kill. He wasn’t a fool, he wasn’t going to make a ton of extra trips for himself by starting to haul things downstairs, but he could at least tackle Garth’s room. That might take up all of his remaining time.

~~~~~

His little army arrived promptly, and Dean greeted them with donuts and coffee and The Plan. They were familiar with his tendency to micromanage under stress, and took it with a smile. The first trip was loaded well ahead of schedule, and by the time they’d returned from donating the stuff, Benny and Art were already well into scrubbing out his little section of cabinets. He started on the last of the walls while Charlie tackled the living room carpet. Somehow, they managed to finish everything a full hour early.

He leaned against the back of the couch with a grin.

“You gonna miss the place Boss?” Charlie asked.

“Hell no. Nothing good here. I’m ready to be done with the place.”

Benny nodded at the stack of garbage. “Well then, grab a bag of trash, brother, let’s be done.”

~~~~~

He’d texted Cas to make sure that showing up early wouldn’t be a problem (Of course not Dean, it’s your house too.) Then he’d sent out a group text when he and Charlie were headed to the checkouts (only a few dozen extra things in his cart), still running ahead of schedule. By consensus, they agreed to meet at the new house, instead of the shop, basically anytime after now.

When he turned into the driveway to find Sam’s car already parked behind Cas’ garage door, he decided maybe he should have told them to keep it at 3 instead. He was glad to see Sammy, he really was, but he wasn’t sure how to feel about him hanging out with Cas alone before he’d even gotten to introduce them. His garage door started to open, so he waited to pull in.  _ Good idea, leaves more space in the driveway for everyone else. _

The garage door started to close before he’d even turned off the ignition, and he noticed Sam and Cas standing by the back door. 

“Figured we’d help with the hauling.” Sammy said, coming over to greet Dean with a back slapping hug and a grin.

“Just groceries. Benny’s got the rest of my stuff in the back of his truck.” Dean popped the trunk and moved over to where Cas still stood.  “See you already met my brother.”

Cas leaned in and kept his tone low. “Indeed. He gave me the lawyer to housemate version of the hurt him and I’ll kill you speech. It was quite touching.” Cas grinned widely, and Dean let out a startled laugh.

Dean matched Cas’ tone, “Oh my God, he didn’t! Please tell me he didn’t. Ignore everything he says.”

“Hey! What are you guys whispering about? Get over here and help with the groceries.”

They headed over to join the other two at the trunk, and Dean punched Sam in the shoulder as soon as he was within range. Sam just smiled at him.

They’d gotten most of the groceries stowed before the rest of the crew started arriving. First Jody and Donna with armloads of covered containers, then Uncle Bobby, with a bottle of whiskey decorated with a bright bow, then Art towing his new girlfriend Rowena, and finally, Benny and Andrea with the rest of his stuff. Cas greeted each of them, seeming to take note of their relationship to Dean. Dean silently cheered at the total lack of awkwardness that usually accompanied bringing somebody new into their ragtag family. Somehow, Cas had the perfect thing to say each of them. He pulled Dean aside while everyone went to grab the boxes from the truck.

“I wanted to show you something quick, but I haven’t had a minute.” Cas tugged him down the hall to the open door of Dean’s new bedroom. Dean stopped in the door, his mouth open around a wise ass remark about getting him alone.  _ Holy shit! _

Somehow, Cas had managed to get all of his furniture assembled and properly arranged. His bed was perfectly made. The throw had even been artfully thrown over the back of his chair.

“How?”

“Well, the delivery guys actually did the heavy lifting. I arranged for them to do the assembly right at the store, and you didn’t even notice. That’s kind of a housewarming present from me. The rest was as easy as a few batches of wash. I figured the last thing you’d want today was to have to deal with laundry before you could grab a shower and hit the sack.”

Dean pulled Cas into a tight hug. “You are  _ awesome _ !” He realized that he was  _ hugging _ his hot landlord and let go quickly, taking a step back. “Umm, sorry, I-”

Cas cut him off with a laugh. “Never apologize for a hug. I’m glad you’re OK with it. It wasn’t until I had everything in the washer that I realized that you might freak out about be going through your stuff.”

“No man, this is perfect. At this rate, we’ll be done in no time.”

With so many bodies, it took less than an hour to have Dean down to a single box of personal items (I don’t need help putting away my underwear, thank you very much.) left to deal with. Fortunately, his friends had predicted as much, and the lasagna (two pans!) was just coming out of the oven as they finished hooking up Dean’s TV. Charlie oversaw the process from his comfy new chair, before finally getting up to reroute the cables herself so they’d be where she wanted them.

“Why do you even care? It’s not your room.”

“Benny, you can’t just have cables running all over the place. They make cable clips for a  _ reason _ . She’d produced a handful of them (removable adhesive, I promise Dean!) from her pocket and had everything tidy in minutes.

~~~~~

They’d had an early dinner and spent the rest of the evening talking and snacking. By eight, Dean was beat. He couldn’t believe how easily Cas had fit right in. Sure, he’d had to endure a recounting of his most embarrassing moments “to make sure Cas knew what he was getting into,” but it was  _ fun _ . Charlie had somehow managed to con Cas into a biweekly game/movie night, Bobby had offered to teach him how to shoot, and Donna had promised to give Dean the coveted recipe for her lasagna when Cas went back for a  _ third _ piece. His family, it seemed, was as taken with his new housemate as he was.

Dean leaned against the door as he finally closed it behind Sam. First to arrive, and last to leave. He let his head thump gently against the wood and heaved out a long sigh.

“Glad to be done?” Cas’ quiet voice startled him.

“So glad. Gotta admit though, the whole day went so much better than it could have. Never had a move go so smoothly.”

“Well, having your whole family pitch in sure helps.”

“That really could have gone either way, believe me. You should see Christmas.”

Cas laughed. “I can’t even imagine.”

“So, about that speech my brother gave you. What did he say anyway?” It had been bothering Dean all day.

“Well, he said that you have a way of letting your care-giving tendencies turn you into a doormat. ‘Nice is one thing, but Dean somehow manages to end up in situations where he’s the only responsible adult, and everything falls to him.’ He said this was a fresh start for you, so I’d better not turn into just another person Dean ends up feeling obligated to, I believe the phrase he used was ‘keep upright.’”

“Funny about the responsible adult thing, since that’s actually what drew me to your ad in the first place. You literally were looking for a responsible adult.”

“ _ Another _ responsible adult. I really don’t want to be a burden Dean. I have a great job, and I’m three years ahead on my mortgage, and I do my own grocery shopping, and I have enough in my savings account to keep me going for at least a year without even touching any of my CDs or retirement accounts. My social life might suck, I’ll give you that, but I promise, you won’t have to take care of me.”

“Never worried about it Cas. You’ve got your head screwed on way better’n I do. I’m just hoping I won’t drag you down.”

Cas laughed, “Not a chance Winchester. You just try and you’ll find your stuff on the front lawn faster than you can do an oil change.”

At his reference to an embarrassing story he’d heard earlier, Dean flushed. “Kinda wish you didn’t know how much of a loser and a dork I am. I’m a little surprised you didn’t have them haul all of my stuff back out between my brother’s speech and those stories.”

“What I learned is that you’re a caring person who pays attention to the people around them and bends over backwards to make sure they’re happy. That’s definitely somebody I want to be able to call my friend.” He patted Dean’s shoulder. “Now, you wanna watch a movie or you ready for bed?”

“I’d love to watch a movie, but I started scrubbing walls at 6 this morning, and I’m dying to try out that shower and my new bed!”

Cas’ chuckle followed him to his room. “Good night Dean!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I've never had a move go like that with the possible exception of moving into my first college dorm room. We can dream though, right? I'm sure with that family, it would actually be possible.


	7. Easy Like Saturday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Dean's first Saturday in the house, and he and Cas make time for some yoga.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

_ Here we are only 19 days into the new year, and I’m making some pretty solid headway on my resolutions. I mean, I know everyone’s good at keeping their resolutions at first, but I’m making the right changes to make sure mine stick. _

His big one, living life to the fullest, and it’s sub-goal of making time for himself, those, he’d gotten a good start on. For the first time in, maybe ever, he’s living in a place that doesn’t demand that he care for someone else 24-7, and it’s liberating, even though he wishes sometimes that Cas was home for dinner. This first week had been lonely, even though he was used to coming home to an empty apartment. It was different with Cas than it had been with Garth. He actually _liked_ spending time with Cas.

Moving had been a really good decision, in terms of his resolutions. He hadn’t actually saved much money yet, but since the initial spending spree seems to be over, that should change in the next month or two.  Now, he needed to put some energy into his other resolutions. Again, living with Cas made it a little easier. He’d always meant to join a gym, but he just never made the time. Now, there’s one right next to the laundry room. How easy is it to just walk downstairs and hop on the treadmill for an hour?

And he has been. Every night before bed. Not a run, just a nice steady walk to get his blood flowing. Then a shower and a half hour with his journal before bed, and he sleeps like a baby. Best he’s slept ever. 

On Tuesday and Thursday he’d even added some beginner strength training exercises Benny had shown him on YouTube. Nothing major, he wasn’t looking to be ripped, but being stronger and more toned was never a bad thing, especially in his core.

Today, he was planning to try the Yoga for Beginners DVD he’d found in Cas’ stash of equipment. He’d brushed it off as a hippy activity when he’d been with Lisa, but it kept turning up in his recent research, so why not at least give it a try. It wasn’t like there was anyone here to watch him.

He changed into his basketball shorts and a loose tank top before grabbing his laundry basket. He stopped in the bathroom and collected all of the towels (his and Cas’ ‘cause  _ Why not, it would make his lights into a full load. _ ) before heading downstairs. 

He got the washer started, lights first since they’d dry quicker, before he headed over to play with the TV. It took him a minute to find the remote and then the DVD slot on the TV, but he finally got the menu to load.

 

He took another minute to stretch out a little, he  _ had  _ done his homework, and started the first series. The narration was a little...well, he supposed it was exactly what he’d thought of every time Lisa had wanted him to join one of her classes, quiet and soothing and with a heavy focus on breathing. What he hadn’t expected was to  _ feel _ his muscles stretching. He paused the video to dig out the blocks that the instructor kept mentioning. Sure, he wasn’t fat or anything, but his muscles definitely hadn’t been stretched out like this.

Yoga for Dean was not meditative. He cursed and grunted as he moved his body into each position, trying to follow the instructors directions on transitions and hand placement and foot placement and what muscles to focus on while he was moving.  _ Maybe I should have just watched the damned thing first. _

He was pushing his ass off the floor, belly up, while simultaneously trying to arch his head to see the instructor when he he heard footsteps on the mat beside him. He dropped back to the ground and looked up to find Cas standing a few feet away, watching him with his head tilted to the side slightly as if he couldn’t quite figure out what Dean was trying to do. While Dean watched, he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before walking over to turn the TV off.

“Ummm…”

“If you’re really thinking about starting to practice yoga, that video sucks. It’s way easier with a partner until you feel comfortable with the poses.” He walked his coffee over to the table in the laundry room before moving back to Dean, stopping a just at arm’s length. “I mean, if you don’t mind me helping. I’m not a yoga instructor, and I can’t keep up the running dialogue, but I can help you learn a solid sun salutation and some other basic poses if you want.” He looked a little hesitant now.

“No, I mean, I definitely don’t mind, that would be great. That video was almost impossible to follow. How are you supposed to do the poses and watch it at the same time anyway?”

“I’m not really sure. I took yoga classes for a few years, so I had a decent understanding of the poses and transitions before I started practicing at home. Usually, I just work through my own flow of poses, but sometimes I add or subtract depending on where I’m feeling tight.”

He was guiding Dean back into the Mountain pose, the one pose he had managed to pick up from the video. 

“The sun salutation is kind of a classic, and good for beginners because it’s short and there aren’t a ton of poses. I really like it because it touches on the whole body. Kind of like a quick and easy way to stretch everything out and get yourself settled.”

He moved Dean through the rest of the poses, correcting his positioning with a gentle press here or there. Despite his warning about not being a yoga instructor, he narrated the whole time, including instructions on breathing to lengthen the stretch and warnings on listening to his muscles so he didn’t pull anything. 

Finally, he had Dean stretch out on the floor.

“This seems silly, but it’s really important. It’s called the corpse pose. It’s supposed to give you time to ‘just be’ at the end of your practice, but I think of it more as giving your newly stretched muscles some time to recover before you jump back into the rest of your day. You feel all nice and limber, but really, you just put tension on everything.”

“So I just lay here?”

“Yup.” Cas sprawled out next to Dean, their hands close, but not touching. “Honestly, it’s harder than you think. You kind of have to focus on not actively holding any part of your body in a certain position.”

After a minute, Dean understood what he meant. He wanted to wiggle his toes, he kept pulling his belly muscles in. 

“Just focus one at a time on letting go of each muscle group. I start with my toes and work up and out, but it doesn’t really matter.”

Dean tried it. He let his ankles go slack and his feet fall open. He could actually feel the difference. Not a stretch, just...nothing. He worked his way up his legs, his back, his shoulders, his neck, and out his arms to his hands, then, his face. Finally, he was just listening to the sound of their breathing, slow and deep, and the rhythm of the washer as it worked through the end of the cycle. 

The little musical tone of the washer when it finished a few minutes later startled him into tensing up again, and he sat up.

Cas hopped to his feet and leaned down to help Dean do the same. “So, what do you think?”

“I think yoga is more like exercise than I thought. My whole body kind of feels like jello.”

Cas chuckled. “Yeah, a good stretch will do that. But nothing hurts?”

“Nope. Thanks to you. I think I almost broke my neck trying to look at the stupid instructor while I was doing the bridge. You’re right it’s easier with a partner.”

“Well, I try to practice on Saturday mornings, so you’re always welcome to join me.” He reclaimed his coffee from the laundry table. 

“I don’t want to intrude. You’d definitely have a more relaxed time without me grunting at every stretch.”

“Nah, I’m more likely to actually get down here if you’re practicing with me. I’ve kind of gotten out of the habit to be honest, and I can feel it. I could use the motivation.”

“Saturday morning laundry and yoga it is then.” Dean grinned at him and started transferring his laundry from the washer to the dryer. He tossed in one of Cas’ dryer sheets, then caught himself. “Umm, I borrowed some detergent and fabric softener. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t realize that I forgot to grab it when I went shopping. I’ll replace it I promise. Plus, your stuff just smells really good. I noticed it when I climbed into bed.”

“Don’t worry about it. We can call it a community thing and throw it on the list with the coffee and TP when we get low. Not a big deal. But yeah, the smell, that’s actually why I get the stuff. Not fluffy or girly, and even a while after I do laundry, my clothes still smell like I just pulled them out of the dryer.”

Dean loaded the next batch of wash into the machine.

“You don’t have to wash my towels.”

“No reason not to. I just grabbed them with mine.” He parroted his own logic back to Cas. “Besides, it gives me a full batch of lights, so I’m not running the washer half full. Saving water, you know.”   
  
“I’m not arguing, I just want you to know I don’t expect you to do it. I’m not really ready to have Sam back here busting my balls for making you do my laundry.”

“Dude, I  _ told _ you to ignore him. Besides, it’s just your towels, it’s not like I grabbed your hamper or something.”

They wandered back upstairs and into the kitchen. Dean started to pull out ingredients for breakfast, and Cas refilled his coffee and sat on a stool on the other side of the island.

“I’m not going to tell him that I’m making you breakfast either. I’ve seen what you eat during the week. Do you actually survive on takeout and lunch meat?”

“I get the good lunch meat Dean, and that healthy bread with the seeds in it. I’ve managed to survive for this long, I think I’ll be fine.”

Dean hummed his doubt as he cut vegetables for the omelettes he planned on making them. Maybe he wouldn’t have to learn to cook for one after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, you know I couldn't leave Ellen and Jo out. Gotta include Dean's whole family. Plus, can't you just see Charlie forgetting how to English in front of a really pretty girl like Jo?
> 
> Second, in case you missed it, I'm writing Cas' perspective on this whole thing as well, posted as the second work in this series. I suppose you could read them independently, but really they're meant to be read as alternating chapters. From here forward, I'll be posting a new chapter for both works at the same time to make that easier. You don't have to, I just think it might be more interesting that way? Up to you.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and as always, comments make me a happy, happy girl.


	8. The Angel Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfiltered smut. Skip if you're not into that, because it really won't harm the plot if you do. But, on the other hand, if you're into Dean watching Cas in the shower, by all means, read on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this one is for Voyeurism (N14).  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

At nearly two o’clock in the morning, Dean was awake. He wasn’t still awake, he’d fallen asleep easily, he was awake again. He couldn’t readily identify what had woken him either. He wasn’t startled, so it was unlikely to have been a noise, he didn’t have to pee. He was just awake. He lay in his bed for a few minutes in an attempt to fall back to sleep as easily as he’d woken, but his body, it seemed, wasn’t having that. In the quiet of the house, he registered the sound of running water.  _ Ahh, Cas is in the shower. Maybe I heard him come home. _

He rolled to the edge of the bed and stood up. If he wasn’t going to go back to sleep, he might as well get up and grab a glass of milk or something. That usually helped with his restlessness, and maybe he’d fall back to sleep. Cas, he knew from actual sleepless nights, generally crawled into bed directly from the shower. He’d explained that hospitals were full of pretty gross stuff, so he liked to shower when he got home, but by the time he was done, he was dead on his feet. Dean didn’t doubt it, nurses rarely stopped. He wandered toward the kitchen, scratching at his bare stomach as he walked. When he was almost to the bathroom door, he stopped, almost tripping over his feet at the abruptness.

The bathroom door was not completely closed.

The bathroom door was not completely closed, and he could see directly into the shower.

The bathroom door was not completely closed, and he could see  _ Cas _ in the shower.

Cas had a weird thing about the glass shower doors. He hated fog. He kept a squeegee in the shower, mounted with a suction cup, and requested that Dean clean the glass after he showered. Twice a week, he cleaned the door and the mirror with Rain-X. Dean had never been so glad for someone’s compulsions before. The glass was perfectly clear, and it made it feel for all the world like Cas was simply naked in front of him.

The angel on his shoulder piped up.  _ Dude, stop being a pervert, it’s totally rude to peep on your roommate in the shower.  _ The demon on the other should made a much more compelling argument.  _ Holy fuck, Cas is HOT! _

He’d known Cas was gorgeous. It had almost landed him in an awkward position the first time they’d met. Seeing him like this though…

His standard issue wardrobe, either relaxed fit jeans and an equally relaxed fit t-shirt or sweater or his uniform scrubs, had kept his actual shape a bit of a mystery. His calves and thighs were thick a muscular, his hips narrow, and his abs tone but not cut. His chest was a work of art, again, clearly tone, but not overtly muscular, and with only a light dusting of dark hairs. His rosy brown nipples seemed to gleam in the flow of the water. Dean adamantly avoided looking at his cock. Seriously, there were some lines even little Demon Dean wouldn’t cross.

Cas was rinsing shampoo out, his biceps bunched as he held his arms up to run his hands through his hair. It was the first time Dean had ever seen it look so sleek. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that it was the perfect topper for the miles of wet tanned skin on display, he’d say he preferred Cas’ normal just-fucked style.

His angel interrupted his dazed observation.  _ Dude, he’s rinsing his hair. You gotta get out of here before he gets out of the shower or you’re boned. _

Cas was running his hand down his chest now, following the trail of the water. Dean was helpless to follow the motion with his eyes. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips, his mouth suddenly bone dry. His angel must have lost his train of thought too, as he was now mercifully silent.

Whatever Cas was thinking about in the shower, it certainly wasn’t innocent. He’d dragged his hand down his chest, down his taut belly, over the cut of his hip bone and finally circled his dick. He was  _ not _ soft. 

Dean prayed that the whimper was just in his head.

Cas was lazily fisting the most beautiful cock Dean had ever seen, his fingers loose, and his palm pressed to the underside, releasing at the end of each stroke. Flushed red and cut, it stood tall and proud, angled up slightly, as he moved his hand back to the base to start again.

Dean was pretty sure his own dick was in about the same position, likely tenting his pajamas obscenely, but he didn’t reach to check. He didn’t want to move, didn’t want to even breathe lest he somehow draw Cas’ attention.

Cas’ fingers were gripping tighter now, and he’d stopped releasing at the end of the stroke in favor of earning friction on the downward slide as well. His head tilted back with a muted groan, the water rushing through his hair and over his face. He stopped for a second, and Dean panicked. Was he planning to move this to his bedroom? No, he’d taken a step back, his head now out of the water, to lean his shoulders against the tiled wall. Evidently finding his new position more suitable, he started stroking himself again, his movements faster, a little roll of his wrist rubbing his palm over his slit every few strokes. Clearly he was enjoying himself. He had his bottom lip firmly gripped in his teeth, but Dean could still hear the hottest fucking moans he was trying to silence. 

Faster now, with more focus on the sensitive underside near the head, a tighter grip evident by the deep red of his skin. Dean could feel his own hips mimicking the rhythm Cas had set, but didn’t even try to still them.

Suddenly Cas’ whole body seemed to tense up, and Dean watched as he gripped himself tight for a second, the first jet of milky white come landing on the glass and starting to slide down ever so slowly. The groan that seemed to echo off the walls of the shower had Dean shooting in his pants, no hands required.  _ That _ . That was the absolute sexiest thing he’d heard in his life. The next shot landed at Cas’ feet. He’d loosened hold to stroke himself through his climax. When he finally released his dick and looked like he was going to move back under the water to rinse off again, Dean spun around and headed back to his room, closing his door as quietly as possible.  _ Jesus fucking Christ Winchester. You just came in your pants like a goddamned high schooler while you perved on your housemate.  _ Dean was pretty sure he’d never be able to take a shower again without remembering that groan echoing around him.

He tugged his pants off and buried them in the bottom of the hamper, hoping it would prevent them from making his whole room smell like sex, and dug the baby wipes out of the nightstand to clean himself up. He cringed at the sound of the box popping open, stilling to see if Cas had heard it, if he did, he didn’t say anything, before cleaning himself up as well as he could and pulling on clean pajamas. He was just pulling his blankets up around him when he heard Cas move down the hall and into his own room.

Now, safely in his bed and with Cas behind another closed door, Dean worked to calm his racing heart. The flood of adrenaline at the idea of being caught was rapidly dwindling, and the endorphins from his orgasm were taking over, lulling him back to near sleep.

_ So THAT happened. _ Hopefully he’d forget it by morning, or his chances of a quick shower were looking pretty grim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that water isn't great lube, but I love wet naked bodies that aren't obscured by soap. So sue me. 
> 
> Also, typical panic about posting smutty things because I'm still pretty convinced it comes off as corny and repetitive. Kudos and comments much appreciated. They're balm to my needy insecure self.


	9. Happy Birthday Dean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean Winchester is 40 years old. Doesn't that merit a celebration?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

January 24th, Dean’s birthday, dawned gray with heavy hints of an incoming storm.  _ Forty, the big four-oh. This isn’t exactly where I’d planned to be, but hey, at least I’m here, right? _

His pity party lasted only as long as it took for him to get to the coffee pot. Cas had left a birthday card ‘to the best housemate ever’ on the counter for him, and he couldn’t stop grinning. He’d been incredibly careful not to let his little peep session make things awkward, and he was glad because Cas was actually the best housemate he’d ever had, and he certainly wasn’t going to get kicked out for being a pervert.

There was little fanfare. His brother called him to wish him well, though his “Now you’re an old man” wouldn’t go down as a high point in his day. Bobby came to visit, seemingly just to say happy birthday and give Dean a punch to the shoulder, and Charlie had plopped a chocolate cupcake, complete with candle, on his desk after lunch. Overall, a good day, and pretty normal as far as his birthdays went.

~~~~~

It was only his second Saturday in the house, but already they were settling into sort of a routine. Cas joined him for coffee and yoga. They had breakfast after, and he finished up his laundry while Cas balanced his checking account. They’d just plopped down on the couch to watch TV when he got a text from Charlie.

> **HELP! Man emergency requiring immediate assistance. Please?**

Dean groaned. Generally, a ‘man emergency’ meant that she needed something lifted or moved. If he didn’t go over there, she’d inevitably try doing it herself, which never ended well. It had taken him a year, and one sprained ankle on her part, to convince her just to call him first. 

Cas was watching him watch his phone, flipping between the cooking channel and the Netflix menu, obviously waiting on Dean to offer input on what they were going to watch. 

“I’m sorry. I gotta run over to Charlie’s quick. She needs something moved or lifted and if I don’t go, she’ll probably end up hurting herself. Again.”

Cas looked alarmed. “By all means, go. Lift with your knees, and be a little extra careful because you’re probably still loose from this morning.”

Dean snorted. He wished he was loose from this morning.  _ What, are you twelve? Get a grip. _

“But I wanted to watch TV with you! I had it all planned! We were gonna watch TV, then we’d go to the Roadhouse for dinner, and it’s movie night, so Charlie and whoever else was gonna follow us home.” He intentionally amplified his whine so Cas knew he wasn’t happy about the interruption.

“Dean, there will be plenty of other Saturdays to watch cooking shows, I promise. Go help your friend so she doesn’t wind up with permanent spinal damage.” Cas was grinning, but gave his best effort at a stern tone, playing along with Dean’s little pout.

“Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll see you in a little while. I’ll just watch that bee documentary I’ve been saving.”

“Ugh. I don’t know how you can watch that stuff. So, boring. Call me when it’s done so I’ll know when it’s safe to come home.” Dean was backing out of the living room as he spoke, and Cas just waved him off with a deep laugh.

Charlie, as it turned out, did not need something to move. She’d actually just needed some insight from ‘her bestie’ regarding how to proceed with the new waitress she’d told them about last weekend. Evidently, the initial call had gone well, and they had aligning tastes on several important topics including Star Wars, but could you ever really be sure?

She managed to turn the angst into a full two hour discussion on how you decided to date somebody before Dean had had enough. 

“Charles, I love you, but you totally interrupted my carefully scripted Saturday for this. Couldn’t we have just had the same conversation later while we’re re-watching whatever movie we end up picking for the seventeenth time?”

“With all due respect Mr. Winchester, if a movie is worth watching seventeen times, it is definitely worth actually watching. Besides, what if Cas hasn’t seen it? Would you really want me talking over all the good parts of a movie he’s never seen?”

That was...actually a good point. Not that he intended to let Charlie know that.

Somehow, Charlie had managed to con him into waiting an additional half an hour while she gets ready so that she can ride with them to the Roadhouse. 

“Hurry up Charlie, at this point, we’re going to have to rush to pick up Cas and get to the bar before Ellen gives up on us coming and calls to give me shit.”

“Dude, just because you’re old now it doesn’t mean you’re required to be grumpy. Lighten up, I’m ready. Let’s go pick up your man.”

Dean didn’t bother to correct her on his way out the door.

~~~~~

His driveway, and the street in front of the house was lined with cars. Familiar cars. He pulled into the garage, thankful that they’d kept the area in front of his bay clear. He shut off the car and looked at Charlie. “I’ve been set up.”

“Don’t look at me. I’m just the distraction. Your  _ housemate _ organized all this. You’d better be happy, I’m guessing it was something else trying to round up a bunch of people he barely knows just to give you a birthday party.”

_ Cas was throwing him a birthday party.  _ As far as he could remember, no one had ever done that for him. When he’d turned 16, his dad had given him the keys to Baby, mostly a pile of rust back then, and gone back to his beer. When he’d turned 20, he’d spent the night with his dad in the hospital. For his 30th birthday, Lisa had given him a blowjob first thing in the morning and followed it with the announcement that she was leaving in an hour for a week-long retreat so he and Ben were on their own. Cas, the guy he’d met only three weeks ago, had rounded up his family and thrown him an honest to God birthday party. He didn’t need Charlie to tell him to be happy about it. Clearly, the guy was an angel in scrubs.

His entire family is in the living room, even Ellen and Jo. Dean had to wonder what kind of miracle Cas had worked to get them to leave the bar on a Saturday. He was immediately surrounded by hugs and ‘Happy Birthday’ and had a nephew attached to each leg. He was struck silent by pure giddiness. He wasn’t much for being the center of attention, but to have his family together, and  _ happy _ , twice in one month? Unheard of. Dean greeted everyone as he fought his way into the living room after getting rid of his shoes and coat, a harder than normal task, given his newly acquired ankle weights.

There must have ten pizza boxes on the dining room table, but Dean barely noticed because in the center, where a cake should have been, was a giant tower of tiny pies.  _ Pies _ . Because, Cas, the perfect housemate, had somehow learned that he like pie better and replaced the traditional birthday cake with something that clearly belonged in Dean’s little slice of heaven. Definitely an angel then.

The angel in question stood away from the rest of the group trying to maul him, looking a little hesitant. Dean walked over to him, slowly and careful not to step on the boys, and hauled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you.” Dean spoke low and close to Cas’ ear, clinging to Cas so that the entire room would hopefully not notice that Dean, the gruff mechanic might just be a little bit choked up. 

Cas, seeming to sense his mood, returned the hug and let him cling. The boys, bored with the lack of motion, detached themselves and went to inspect the pizza. Cas leaned in further, also keeping his voice low when he mumbled, “Thanks for not being mad. I just thought, since this was a big one, you definitely deserved a celebration.”

And wasn’t that just so...Cas. To recognize that this was a milestone for Dean, and to turn it into something he would _want_ to remember.

Dean loosened his grip a little and Cas pulled back, raising his voice to a normal volume. “You can thank me by helping me clean up tomorrow, right now, there’s pizza getting cold and pie getting warm. Let’s eat.” He grinned widely at Dean, and Dean matched his expression.

So, they ate pizza and pie and drank beer and laughed. Dean was maneuvered into the corner of the couch, and a huge box and a stack of cards was placed in front of him. He really didn’t like presents. There were so many better things to do with money than buy things for him.

“Don’t be gettin’ stubborn about this now boy. Start with that big one, it’s a gift for everyone.”

He carefully unwrapped and opened the box to reveal a pile of dark blue fabric. He pulled out the top, t-shirt he quickly learned, and noticed the little tag with his name carefully pinned to the shoulder before he noticed the logo on the front. His eyes flew to his uncle's.

“Charlie asked me months ago about replacing the shop logo. I thought maybe it would be the perfect time to do something else I’ve been meaning to do for twenty years now.”

The shirts bore a stylized car, specifically, the front end of a vintage Impala. That, on its own, was pretty sweet, but the text arching around the graphic was what made the shirt so incredibly special to Dean.  _ Singer Family Auto Repair _ above, and  _ Fixing Things Since 1979 _ . 

Singer Family Auto Repair. Not Singer Auto repair, like it had been since Uncle Bobby had started the shop with his wife the year he’d been born. _Singer Family_.

“Wouldn’t even still be around if it weren’t for you kid. Me or the shop.” Bobby’s tone was gruff. “Pull the rest of them out. Got one for everybody.” 

Dean unpacked the rest of the box, passing out t-shirts, all were carefully tagged, to each member of his family, near the bottom, there was one labeled “Cas” and Dean shot Bobby a thankful glance. Bobby just winked. Dean was glad that Cas had been included. He might be new, but he’d certainly worked his way into the family, there was no doubt in Dean’s mind about that.

At the very bottom of the box, there was a new uniform shirt, with the new logo embroidered on the right pocket and “Dean Winchester, Manager” embroidered on the left. Below that, a soft hooded sweatshirt matching the t-shirts with the large printed logo and his named on a little pinned tag. He pulled it on over his t-shirt and snuggled his hand into the kangaroo pocket.

Bobby didn’t let him linger over the gift, and Dean figured he could offer his thanks more sincerely in a quieter setting anyway, so he moved on to the cards. Each card included a photo of the person or family it came from, and just as he opened the last one, Cas appeared at his elbow with a stack of simple black frames. He took the stack of photos and framed each carefully before bringing them over to the fireplace. Dean hadn’t even noticed that half of the mantle and several shelves on one of the book cases had been cleared until Cas started placing the photos. The result was a close mirror, Cas’ family photos on the mantle and shelf to the left, and Dean’s family to the right. He’d lived with Lisa for ten years, and the only photo he’d had of his family there had been a picture of him, Sam, Ben, and Lisa at Sam’s college graduation party. Dean couldn’t speak for fear his voice wouldn’t come out right. Not only had Cas welcomed him into his home, he’d clearly arranged to make sure that Dean felt at home here, surrounded by his family. Like he finally  _ belonged _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about holding this chapter until next week, but I couldn't go that long without posting. Hope you enjoy. Don't forget, Dean's birthday is January 24th!!


	10. Double Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas wind up on a double date for Valentine's Day. Somehow, it turns out better than they expected, no escape hatch required.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

_ I was just going to call him and tell him I was desperately in love with my housemate, even though he’s totally unavailable, and so it wouldn’t really be fair to lead him on. _

Cas’ offhand comment has been playing on repeat in his head for a week, for a variety of reasons. 

First, he really wasn’t sure where Cas got the idea that he was unavailable. Was it the housemate thing? Maybe he had the same personal rules about not dating people you lived with (unless you moved in together after you’d been dating of course). That could go south in about a hundred different ways, and Dean had considered just about all of them at length during his frequent conversations with himself about why flirting with Cas was a bad idea.

Or maybe it was just a cover for the fact that he wasn’t interested in Dean. I mean, he had clearly been playing on the age old fake boyfriend idea with his brush off, so maybe that was just an extension. 

Then, there was that other part, where Cas had said he was desperately in love with his housemate. And again, it was clearly said in jest, but Dean couldn’t let it go. He didn’t really think Cas was in love with him, they barely got to spend any real time together, even if they did text as often as they could when they were both awake on the days that they didn’t actually get to see one another. It was definitely too soon for the L word, but Dean couldn’t deny that he had some pretty strong feelings for Cas, minimal engagement or not. The guy was smart and funny and caring and  _ hot _ . He wouldn’t deny a strong  _ like _ had already developed, and if it wasn’t for the housemate thing, he’d have certainly turned on the charm. Just the  _ idea _ that Cas might feel the same had his head spinning. He had to give his imagination credit, it had played out just about every sexy and domestic situation that might become possible if it were actually  _ true. _

But now, it’s Friday, and instead of ordering takeout and watching a movie like they’d done the last few weeks, they were heading out on a double date. With other people.

Somehow, it had escaped his attention that yesterday was Valentine’s day. Getting reservations had been a bitch. If he hadn’t been able to call in a favor from a restaurant owner he’d helped on the side of the road a few months back, they’d have had to wait another week. Dean didn’t think either of them could handle that kind of mental torture. Now though, they’re going to be surrounded by a shit ton of happy couples, all lovey dovey because the stupid holiday was a Thursday, and who can really plan a romantic evening when they’ve got to work the next day?

At this point, he was just glad that both men had been willing to accept the double date idea and had further agreed to meet them at the restaurant. At least this way, when Charlie called with their escape, they’d have a solid reason for both of them to leave. 

The restaurant was actually really nice. The tables were spaced far enough apart to allow for quiet conversation, and there was a little electric candle flickering in the middle of each, giving the room a pleasant glow. The tablecloths and napkins were perfectly white, and the flatware actually gleamed. Dean kind of wished he and Cas were  _ actually _ on a date. This was definitely the kind of place he’d take the man if he were trying to romance him.

Ross, the lawyer from Sam’s firm, arrived first. Dean had to give his brother credit, the guy was good looking. With his mocha skin and dark hair, Dean would even go so far as to say he was a good match for his ‘type’. Clearly, however, Sam hadn’t spent much time with the guy outside of work. From the minute he sat down, he’d been talking constantly, an even mix of complaining about everything from work to the restaurant to the weather and boasting about his accomplishments, his workout regime, and his car. Dean might have actually been able to hold a conversation on that last subject, but he couldn’t manage to get a word in edgewise after the introductions. Instead, he fiddled with buttering a slice of the honey wheat bread the waiter had brought out.

Gage, who’d arrived five minutes late without an apology, looked downright sullen. He’d shaken Cas’ hand on being introduced, but had immediately wiped his palm down his jeans like he might catch something. Again, Dean had to admit the guy was good looking, but his attitude made that moot.

Dean’s date ‘got a text’ before their order had even been taken, and left without apology. Dean wasn’t sure if he should be grateful that he wouldn’t have to wait until Charlie’s call, or irritated that he was now a third wheel to Cas’ disaster. He settled on being glad that Cas wasn’t stuck in this alone.

“I have a boyfriend.” Gage made the announcement as if they hadn’t just been in the middle of discussing how rude Ross had been. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re a great guy and everything, but I just wanted you to know so you didn’t think I was leading you on or something. Amber hates him.”

Cas looked...relieved. “Actually, I have to confess that I only invited you out because she basically nagged me into it. It was the only way I could think to get her to back off.”

Now, Gage looked relieved as well. He huffed out a little laugh. “Why does everyone think that just because you like dick they have to set you up with the only other gay guy they know?”

“Dean has a theory about that actually, but you really don’t have to stick around. I’m sure you’d far rather spend the night with your boyfriend than here with me.”

“Thanks man, I really appreciate it. We were supposed to go out. He’s a bartender, so his schedule’s just about opposite mine, and he basically never gets Friday’s off. I doubt we’ll get a table anywhere, but it’ll be nice just to be able to spend some time together.” He was already putting on his coat. He shook their hands, first Cas’ then Dean’s and turned away with a wave.

Their waiter arrived just in time to watch him go. He turned to them with a raised eyebrow. “Pardon me for saying, but that was the shortest double date I’ve ever seen.”

Dean laughed and Cas grinned around his response, “Thank God for small favors.”

“So, would you gentlemen like to order, or shall I just bring the bill for the drinks?”

Dean caught Cas’ eye and raised his eyebrow. They’d gotten spiffed up, the place was really nice, reservations were hard to get, and they were already here. Dean was up for staying if Cas was.

“I’ll have the special, medium-rare, with a baked potato, house dressing on my salad.” Dean guessed that was his answer. 

“Good choice. Our vegetable tonight is roasted asparagus. Is that acceptable or would you prefer broccoli?”

“The asparagus, please.” The waiter took a second to jot down the order before he turned to Dean.

“I’ll have the same, but with the garlic smashed instead of the baked.”

“Medium-rare, house dressing”

“Please, and I’ll stick with the asparagus as well.”

The waiter nodded. He hesitated, then said “I hope the rest of your evening is more enjoyable than the beginning.” He headed back to the kitchen with a small smile. Dean didn’t doubt the entire staff was about to hear how his table had managed to lose their dates in less than the time it took to decide on dinner.

The rest of their evening was, however, incredibly pleasant. Cas was always easy to talk to, and the warm glow of the candle highlighted the planes of his face as he spoke. Dean had a hard time not just staring. The food was amazing, and Dean made a note that he would definitely come back. It was rare to get a steak perfectly cooked, and the smashed potatoes were buttery and delicious. The waiter had even given them each a slice of chocolate cheesecake on the house out of sympathy, which sparked a heated discussion on what could actually considered a pie (anything with a crust and filling by Dean’s definition, although Cas did make a good point about meat pies). 

By nine o’clock, it was as if their evening had never deviated from their norm. They still wound up on the couch watching a movie. Dean couldn’t even complain that they should have just gone with Cas’ idea and stayed home, because he’d absolutely enjoyed their failed date. How could anyone be annoyed when they get to eat wonderful food with such good company? Besides, if he can’t actually date Cas, he’ll take what he can get, because honestly, this thing with Cas is pretty much the healthiest relationship Dean has ever had.

He’s just going to pretend that isn’t the saddest thought he’s had in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mention it in the chapter, but of course Charlie called, and of course Dean picked up, but only so she wouldn't call at midnight. :)


	11. Cold Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean isn't one to let somebody suffer if there's something he can do about it. Especially if it means getting his hands on his housemate's skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- Currently, I'm aiming for about 2-3 posts per week, but I'm headed to Dubai at the end of the week, so I might be absent for a bit.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- Thanks to wikiHow for the technical terms for massage.   
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Dean was awake again at 1 o’clock in the morning. There is no question what woke him, despite his closed door, he could clearly hear Cas moaning and groaning across the hall. It took him a few minutes tough, before he could separate the memory of the visual he been granted the last time he’d heard those particular sounds from Cas and what he was hearing now. These groans did not sound like sexy times. The more he listened, the more distinct the tone became, it sounded...pained.

“Dammit all to fucking  _ hell _ Zachariah!” Cas’ cursing was punctuated by an almost whimper that had Dean out of bed and crossing the hall. He paused at Cas’ open door. His housemate was standing in the middle of his bedroom in his boxer briefs, his pants bunched into a pile at his sock clad feet and his scrub top halfway off. It looked like he was panting.

“Umm, Cas, I’m not trying to be a creep or anything, but…”

“I’m stuck.”

“You’re stuck?”

“Yes, Dean, I’m stuck. Fucking Zachariah biffed a patient lift and I think I pulled a muscle in my back. I was doing OK just a little sore, but I must have stiffened up in the cold on my way home and now I can’t get my  _ fucking shirt off _ !”

“OK, OK, can I, would it be alright if I-”

“If you’re offering to help me, I would be eternally grateful at this point, this position is making it hurt to breathe.”

Dean moved to Cas’ side quickly and assessed the situation. He’d managed to get the collar of the shirt over his head, but he had one elbow wedged in, and the whole thing looked tight.

“Here’s the plan. I’m going to guide this arm down and out while I support the other arm. Then, we’ll pull it over your head and off the other arm. Think you can handle that?”

Cas grunted. “Well, that sounds less expensive than cutting the damned thing off.”

Dean took that as agreement, he lifted Cas’ outstretched arm gently, relieving the tension on the fabric. He stood on his tiptoes, pressing in with his shoulder to keep it supported while he gently pulled the arm stuck inside the shirt out the bottom. With one arm free, the fabric was loose enough to tug over Cas’ head and up his arm. Dean lowered the arm he was holding slowly and tossed the top into Cas’ hamper. 

Cas heaved a sigh of relief then stiffened up and seemed to stop breathing.

“Just...stay right there, I’ll be right back.”

Dean had seen Lisa come home like this more times than he could count. Generally, a good rub down had her moving a lot better. Their shower might be magical, but after ten years of practice, Dean knew his hands would be far more effective. He grabbed a couple of towels from the bathroom and a tub of coconut oil from the kitchen and headed back down the hall. He was a little surprised to find that Cas had actually followed his direction. He was exactly where Dean had left him, taking shallow breaths, still clad only in his boxers and his socks.  _ Jesus, that man is fine.  _ There was no denying Cas was fit. His little shower show may have given Dean a great memory of Cas’ thick thighs, muscled arms, and toned core, but the corded lines of his back and  _ that ass… _ A tiny hitch in Cas’ breathing had him remembering his mission. 

He moved around Cas carefully, putting himself in Cas’ line of vision, and raised the items in his hands. “Will you let me help a little more? When Lisa got like this, a back massage was the only thing that helped.”

“I couldn’t ask you to-”

Dean cut him off. “You’re not asking, I’m offering. I can’t just leave you like this.”

“Are you secretly a massage therapist on the side?”

Dean huffed out a laugh. He couldn’t tell if Cas was just being snarky or if he was asking if he knew what he was doing. “So, something you might not know. If you live with a yoga instructor slash massage therapist for ten years, you learn exactly how to administer a proper therapeutic massage. You don’t get a choice. Lisa spent hours instructing and correcting me after I, and this is a direct quote, ‘acted like a complete pussy and barely touched her’ the first time she came home sore. So, I might not be a licensed therapist, but after basically a ten year of drills, I probably could be if I wanted to. Now will you let me help you?”

Cas seemed to weigh Dean’s words for a second, then nodded his head up before freezing and grunting. “Please.”

Dean quickly spread the first towel across the side of Cas’ bed, then folded the second into a horseshoe shape to support Cas’ head. Cas had moved, very slowly, to stand beside him. 

“I’m going to help you sit down so we can get you on your stomach without hurting you, OK?”

“I’m a fucking nurse Dean. I know how this works.”

“So you don’t need my help getting horizontal?”

“Sorry, yes, please.”

“I’m just used to narrating. Lisa hated surprises, especially when she was sore, so I always announced my intentions so I didn’t startle her and make the whole situation worse.”

“It’s actually...exactly how you should do it. I’m just being an asshole.”

“Hey man, you hurt. I know how that goes.” He’d turned Cas so that his back was to the bed and guided his arms over his shoulders, slipping his under Cas’ armpits to take his weight as he sat. They worked together smoothly, positioning his butt as far back on the bed as they could so that they’d have room to roll him onto his stomach close enough to the edge of the bed for Dean to be able to reach. 

The next bit was trickier. “You need me to bring your legs up before we lay you down or you think I can do that after.”

"My lower back isn’t too bad, the pull is in my right serratus posterior inferior.”

Now, Dean knew he was being tested. He reached around to Cas’ back and not quite touching Cas, but close to his skin, about midway between this spine and the outside of his ribs several inches up from the edge of his boxers. “That’s right here?” He lightly pressed his palm in.

“Yesss.” The word was hissed.

“Sore to the point of tender or are my hands just too cold?”

“Cold hands, goddamn.”

“Sorry.” He rubbed his palms together and blew on his fingers before helping Cas get his upper body settled on the bed. He slowly lifted his legs to follow. Cas’ calves were as firm as they looked.  _ Be a fucking professional Winchester, the man is in pain. _ He leaned over and gently tugged Cas’ socks off, sending them sailing toward the hamper to join his scrubs.

“OK, this part might suck.”  They got Cas rolled onto his stomach with only a few groans and one curse. Dean considered it a win.

“You obviously would have been a better lift partner than Zachariah was.” It was mumbled into the bedspread and muffled by the towel supporting his head, but Dean caught Cas’ words.

“Don’t know about that. This is about the extent of my experience. Getting you laid down and getting you back up without undoing the massage.”

Cas grunted, but didn’t say anything else. Dean dug a fingerful of coconut oil out and warmed it between his palms until it was liquid.

“Gonna touch you now, just lightly until I get you lubed up. OK?”

“Effleurage.”

Dean started with gentle strokes from the top of Cas’ shorts, up his back and over his shoulders and neck. “So you want me to use the technical terms? I can do that. Effleurage, light friction. Used to spread the oil and give the recipient time to get used to being touched. Kinda helps to warm up the muscles a little.”

Cas sighed softly, and Dean continued the easy motion for a few minutes, slowly increasing his pressure, but being careful not to dig in.

“Ready for me to switch to petrissage?”

A grunt was his only answer and Dean took that as a good sign. He moved back to the base of the spine, and began kneading his way up the far side of Cas’ back. 

“Ummm, since I don’t have a table, I gotta come up there with you. That OK?”

“Yes Dean.” Cas sounded amused at Dean’s hesitation. 

Dean rounded the bed and climbed up. He moved cautiously, so as not to jar the bed under the other man. “Dude, I don’t want you to think I’m a creeper or anything. I like living here.”

Cas chuckled briefly. “You got out of bed in the middle of the night to give me a back massage. You’re definitely not in danger of getting kicked out.”

“Gonna go really lightly on this first pass just so I can get a feel for that muscle, then I’ll come back again a couple times ‘til we get it loosened up.”  

He could feel the affected muscle immediately, it was bunched so tightly. “Geez man, not sure how you made it through your shift like this.” The muscles around it were tense as well, likely from compensation. Dean worked bottom to top and and started over, again and again, until Cas’ muscles gave easily under his palms. 

He slid his hand to the other side of Cas’ ribs. “Gonna go back around so I can give this other side a little more attention.”

Cas burrowed a little deeper into the towel but didn’t respond as Dean moved off the bed. He worked the other side until it was equally pliable.

“You want the whole nine with the drum solo and the pinching or should I just move on to the fanning. Not sure if that has a fancy French name or not, sorry.”

“Fanning. You work too much longer, I’ll be asleep, and I really need a shower.”

“OK, just gonna grab a some more oil.” He liquefied another little blob of the coconut oil, then leaned over. It wasn’t the best position, but no way would he be able to stay professional if he knelt over Cas’ head. He was half hard already just from all the skin to skin contact. It didn’t help matters that Cas had started making little happy noises in the back of his throat.

He worked his hands down Cas’ back, a little extra pressure with his thumbs on the muscles around his spine. He repeated it a few times, until he was satisfied.

He worked Cas’ shoulders for a few minutes, then his neck before wiping his hands off one at a time on the towel. He dug his hands into Cas’ hair to finish with a scalp massage.

Cas groaned as Dean worked his fingers over his head. Unlike earlier, there was no pain in the sound, and Dean’s dick definitely noticed.

“Feeling better?”

“I’m keeping you.” It was said on a sigh, and Dean nearly missed it. He only  _ wished _ Cas meant it. He just hummed a little in response. He didn’t want to stop touching Cas, but he was officially out of reasons to do so. He gave Cas a little pat on the shoulder before braking contact completely.

“You should take a minute or two before we get you up, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”  _ And to give me a minute to  get my dick under control.  _ “You still feel any tight spots?” 

Cas huffed what might have been a laugh into the mattress before he turned his head to the side. “You could definitely get your license.”

“Yeah? I can tell I’m out of practice, my arms feel like rubber. I should give you a foot massage sometime.”  _ Oh, my God, SHUT UP! _ Dean could feel the blush rushing into his cheeks.

“Prolly shouldn’t, or I’d be waking you up every night. I don’t care how picky I am about shoes, ten hours on my feet, and they’re killing me.”

“Should I-”

“No, Jesus, thank you, but I’ll never make it to the shower. I’m sure you’d like to get back to bed at some point too.”

“No worries, there’re a few perks to being manager, and one of them is hiding in the office when I don’t sleep well.” He said it with a grin, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d done it. Usually because he’d had nightmares keeping him up, but sometimes he just plain couldn’t sleep. This was by far one of the most pleasurable things he’d had keep him up in a long time. “You think you’re ready to stand up?”

Cas closed his eyes for a minute, but eventually opened them to meet Dean’s. “Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.”

They moved slowly, essentially reversing the same process as they’d used to get Cas’ onto the bed. Dean stood, lightly supporting Cas for a minute before the other man lowered his arms to his side.

“Thank you.”

“No worries man, I’m sure you’d do the same thing.”

“I might try, but I’m not nearly so skilled. You’d probably tell me I was a pussy. I’m just a nurse, we have a palliative team for that stuff.”

Dean snorted. “There’s no such thing as ‘just’ an anything. I  _ know _ what kind of shit nurses have to do everyday, especially oncology nurses. No way I could do what you do man.”

Cas huffed out a sigh and shook his head. “You’re something else Dean. Thanks for helping me.”

“No problem. You good to make it to the bathroom?”  _ Do NOT offer to help him in the shower. _

“I feel like a new person. Go back to bed.”

“OK, but I’m leaving my door cracked just in case. Just holler if you need anything.” He backed toward the hall.

“Yes, mom.” He rolled his eyes at Dean, but ruined the effect by grinning widely.

“Good night Cas.”

“Good night Dean.”

_ Fuck. _ Now he was going to be laying in bed, thinking about Cas in the shower. He knew exactly where that would get him, and it certainly wasn’t back to sleep. With his door open, he wouldn’t even be able to do anything about it.  _ Definitely gonna be hiding in my office tomorrow. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so, I'm leaving for Dubai on Friday, and I'll be gone for two weeks. I'll do my very best to get at least one post up during that time, but if I don't, please know that I'm not abandoning, this, I'm just crazy busy with work!
> 
> Sorry if this and the Cas chapter overlap a bit, I'm more than a little distracted, and I'm struggling a little to make sure that they can be read independently!
> 
> I'll miss you all!


	12. What Drunk Dean Says

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a delicate balance to be maintained, but Sober Dean doesn't have a whole lot of control over what comes out of Drunk Dean's mouth.
> 
> Or, the one where Dean and Cas get drunk and confess that they want to be naked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this one is for "Drunken Confessions (B3).   
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Dean was careful about the delicate balance he maintained with regards to Cas. 

During the day, they were friendly, even domestic. They talked and laughed, they bickered playfully. The man was his best friend next to Charlie, and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.

At night though, in the privacy of his room, he couldn’t help but think about what else Cas could be. When he was alone, the little shoulder bumps, the gentle hand on his shoulder, snuggling on the couch, all the little touches throughout the day, they piled up and left him needing more, so much more.

It had been months since he’d seen Cas in the shower, weeks since he’d had his hands on the man’s skin, but when he was laying in bed, the memories were as vivid as if it had just happened. He could  _ see _ the water running down Cas’ chest, he could  _ feel _ the tautness of his muscles. 

During the day, he was careful not to cross the line between friendship and flirting, wary of ruining what they had. After dark, the line was invisible, nonexistent. It was Cas’ face he saw in his fantasies, Cas’ fingers on his nipples and in his ass, Cas mouth on his neck or his dick, and Cas’ name on his lips when he came. 

He was mindful and he was cautious. No matter how amazing it would be to have Cas like that, it would never be worth giving up what he already had.

Their solo movie nights had become a special kind of torture. When Charlie was around, he at least had a distraction from the heat off Cas’ body tucked to his side. Without her, he was aware of each breath the other man took, each time he shifted or sighed or laughed. The weight of his arm resting across his shoulders when he tugged Dean closer.

Maybe he was a masochist, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’d queued up the movie, had the popcorn ready (buttery, but light on the salt just like Cas liked it), and Cas had gone to grab beer from the fridge.

“What’s it this week?” Cas set the beer on the coasters next to the popcorn.

He grinned as Cas plopped down beside him. “ _ A Knight’s Tale _ . Heath Ledger and jousting.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Cas laughed. “Didn’t Charlie say that was a chick flick?”

“Dude, there’s jousting. Besides, she only said that because we usually watch it ‘drink-when’ style, so she misses half of the epic fight scenes.”

“Drink when?”

“You know, you watch a movie and there’s a list of things that are a cue to drink. For this one it’s like ‘Drink when someone says lance or something gets hit with a lance. Drink when someone says Ulrich, or Chaucer gives a speech or someone gets on or off a horse. Most movies have a drink-when game.”

“So, should I break out the whiskey or is beer sufficient? I feel like I’ll be missing out on the full experience if we don’t do this the right way.”

“If we’re doing this, we can save the whiskey for Chaucer. We’ll wind up passed out like Charlie otherwise.”

Cas just nodded, and retrieved the Jack and two shot glasses from the liquor cabinet.

Midway through the movie, Dean was regretting mentioning the drinking game. They’d passed tipsy a bit ago, and his ability to keep himself in check was rapidly fading. Cas’ hand on his thigh, and the throaty chuckle in his ear certainly didn’t help. 

“I always forget how hot that man is in this movie. Still, he’s got nothing on you.”  _ Oh god, evidently his filter was gone.  _ He cringed even as he nudged Cas’ shoulder.

Cas didn’t seem bothered by the flirty comment. “Psht. That’s a fine piece of man. I don’t compare.”

“Dude, I’ve seen you naked, you’re fucking hot.”  _ Shit, shit, shit. _

“You seen me in my underwear, when I was in so much pain I couldn’t get out of my own shirt. That’s hot to you?”

He’d already sort of confessed, there was no way Dean was going to compound his pervy sin by lying. He squared up in front of Cas. “I watched you in the shower one night. I mean, it was an accident at first, the door was kind of open, but Jesus, I couldn’t look away. Made me come in my pants right there in the hallway.”

Cas’ eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t look away. “Well, it was probably your fault anyway.”

Dean reared back. He wasn’t really sure how to take that. On one hand, it sounded like Cas had been jacking off because of him. On the other, it didn’t sound like he was too happy about it. “What?”

“Jesus Dean, it’s like a daily thing. Do you even know what you look like? From the first time I saw you bent into a bridge...ughn.” He finished the statement with a grunt before squeezing his eyes tight and biting his lip.

“You jack off in the shower thinking about me?”

Cas looked hesitant now, but he nodded. 

“That’s so fucking hot.” It was Dean’s turn to bite his lip. The thought that he might have featured in Cas’ fantasies as often as Cas starred in his... 

“Then that massage, your hands…”

“Tell me.”

“Every time you pressed into my back...it was...I was so fucking hard, and I couldn’t even get off because I was afraid of making too much noise. Or hurting myself. But those hands in my hair…” He moaned softly.

Dean was leaning closer to Cas now, and he could feel the soft huff of air that escaped with the sound. “Those sounds you make, Jesus Cas. You’ve been the only thing I can think about. Every time I tell myself I shouldn’t think about you like that, but then I’m coming and you’re right there.”

Cas lunged at him, flattening him to the couch and locking their mouths together. It was sloppy, full of teeth and noses bumping, but he could feel Cas’ hardness pressing into his, and he couldn’t make himself pull away. 

Cas tasted like popcorn and beer and whiskey, and the combination had him licking his tongue deeper even as his brain did a mental review. They were drunk. Cas was his landlord. More importantly, this was his best friend. Did he really want to do something that Cas might regret in the morning?

He pulled back for a breath, and Cas let his forehead rest on Dean’s while they panted.

“Can’t be like this Cas.”

He only got a whimper in response. “I’ve wanted you since I met you, but we can’t do it like this. I don’t want to be something you regret when you’re sober.”

Cas pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and leaned up so he could meet Dean’s eyes. “I’m not going to pretend this didn’t happen Dean, and I certainly won’t regret it, but I don’t want you to think it’s only cause I’m drunk either.” 

“Ok then.” Dean nodded once.

“Ok then.”

“Umm, so do you wanna finish the movie?”

Cas buried his face in the side of Dean’s neck and huffed out a little laugh. “I don’t wanna move.”

He wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist and hugged him a little tighter for a second before snuggling them a little deeper in the couch and tugging the blanket off the back to cover them. “Alright then.” If Cas wanted to sleep snuggled up on the couch, Dean certainly wasn’t going to argue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'm sorry that I was gone so long! Our trip to Dubai was amazing, but we it took us four days to get out of Toronto due to the weather. I was starting to wonder if I would ever get out of Canada. My family, who was totally bummed that I spent my birthday stuck in an airport, was waiting for me when I got home, so that was another day of not writing (but the Wonder Woman cake and family time totally made up for that!). I missed you guys, and I hope that this chapter isn't as clunky as it feels. Please let me know if there's anything that needs more work. :)


	13. Let it be Both

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up the morning after confession is far less nerve wracking than it could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this is for "Dry Humping (B5).  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Sleeping on the couch had seemed like a perfectly fine idea last night. Even when he’d gotten up to pee and brush his teeth in the early morning hours, he hadn’t hesitated before crawling back in next to Cas. Now, in the light of day, his forty year old body was complaining. Yes, the couch was deep and comfortable, but they were too damned old for this. 

His arm was wedged under him, and he’d lost feeling in his fingers. He shifted a little, not wanting to wake Cas. He’d gladly trade circulation in his hand for a few more minutes of snuggling, especially if that hardness pressed into his butt was at least partially actual arousal and not just an unconscious physical reaction to their closeness. 

He could ask, he probably  _ should _ just ask, but he could also test the waters a little.

He arched his back, just a bit, to press his ass more firmly into Cas, and the groan he got in response, coupled with the way Cas tightened his arm around his waist definitely had Dean feeling more hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, Cas was sober and still interested. 

Dean rolled over carefully, avoiding elbowing Cas or putting his weight in any unfortunate places. When they were facing each other, pressed together shoulder to knee, he grinned at Cas. “Good morning Sunshine.”

Cas leaned in to rub their noses together for a second. “Mornin’.” The hint of mint on Cas’ breath meant that Cas too had gotten up at some point. More importantly, it meant that Cas had gotten up and had decided to come back to the couch and Dean. Dean’s smile widened. Cas just tightened his arms again, pulling their hips closer together. “Since you didn’t bolt from the couch as soon as you woke up, can I assume that you don’t have regrets?”

The feel of Cas’ dick rubbing against his own was more than a little distracting. “I regret sleeping on the couch.” Cas pulled his head back looking concerned. “Next time we have a slumber party, I vote we do it in a bed. Dude, we’re too old to sleep on the couch.” Cas relaxed against him again, and Dean took advantage of his closeness to press a quick kiss to his lips. 

Cas started a slow grind of his hips that had Dean’s eyes sliding shut and a moan echoing between them.

“Teasing aside, I don’t regret this. I want you more than I’ve wanted anyone in a very long time, but not if…”

Cas cut him off. “Dean, I told you I wouldn’t regret this. I described, in explicit detail, how much I’ve been wanting you. But, you’re my best friend, maybe my only real friend.” He paused for a minute but his hips kept rocking into Dean’s. “I’ll stop right now if this will mean giving that up.”

_ God, yes, this is good. Please say we can have both.  _ “Please say we can have both. We’re good at talking. We talk all the time. If you find somebody else, you can just tell me and I’ll back off.” Their grinding was becoming more urgent now, and Dean’s hand had slid down to grip Cas’ ass, holding them tightly together.

“We are good at talking. We can stay friends when you find somebody else. Both definitely sounds good. You just have to promise to be honest with me when you’re ready to go back to the way things were.”  

_ Thank god.  _ They probably should have sat up for this conversation. Honestly, he’s so close he’d probably agree to just about anything at this point.  _ Does he really think I’ll give this up for somebody else? I’ll take whatever he’s willing to give me.  _ “I promise Cas, I’ll be honest with you always. And you’ll do the same? You’ll tell me when you’re ready to move on?” 

Cas groaned out a quick yes before latching onto Dean’s bottom lip with his teeth and teasing it with his tongue. He released it only to trace the path of his jaw to his neck where he nipped that spot, that one spot just over his pulse, and Dean was flying. He clung to Cas while his hips stuttered and his cocked throbbed. He hadn’t caught a breath before Cas was moaning Dean’s name, his muscles clenching with his own release.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spent the day writing. Like I said in the last chapter, I'm feeling pretty rusty but glad to be back. I probably should have waited to see if I biffed the last one before I posted this one, but patience isn't exactly my strength. Please let me know what I need to fix. 😍


	14. Benefits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's never had a friend with benefits, but he's pretty sure he loves it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. It got me thinking about a new thing, so here we are.  
> \- Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this is for "Friends with Benefits" (O25).  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- These guys look an awful lot like our friendly neighborhood Dean and Cas, but they're not. Just saying...  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

_ It’s odd, how much and how little change sex can make. _

The thought percolated through his head as he read over his weekly menu plan on Thursday night. For the most part, their comfortable routine hadn’t changed. They still had movie nights on Friday, they still did yoga and brunch and the Roadhouse on Saturdays, and Sundays were pretty much still a free for all of working through whatever chores hadn’t get accomplished throughout the week.

Somehow, Cas had taken over grocery shopping, including the list that Dean kept for himself on the side of the fridge. Dean had tried to give him money the first couple of times, but Cas had just said that since Dean cooked on the weekends and shared his leftovers, it was only fair that he did the grocery shopping. 

It really wasn’t worth an argument. He’d never been a fan of grocery shopping, but he was definitely loving cooking. He’d been reading more about weekly meal prep and make ahead meals, so on Sunday mornings, he got them set up for the week. If Cas was going to shop, then Dean would definitely make sure that he got a proper meal to take to work, and healthy breakfast options, and even the occasional lunch that doesn’t include a sandwich. Dean never liked cooking for himself, but he has been enjoying cooking for both of them. If he’s a little proud of the fact that they’re both eating better, nobody needs to know that.

He grinned when his phone dinged shortly after 7, right on schedule.

> **JFC Dean, this meatloaf.**

> **Yeah? It’s a new recipe, I think it’s a keeper.**

> **It’s definitely a keeper. It’s fantastic. I’m hunched over my plate like a caveman. There are 3 nurses in here drooling.**

Dean’s smile widened. Cas always took the time to let him know he appreciates his dinner. When it’s a home run, like tonight, he makes sure Dean knows it. When the recipe (or more often the reheating instructions) need some work, there’s thanks and a question about the intended texture of the food or the nutritional properties. It isn’t that Dean needs the recognition,  but it just feels  _ nice _ to know that Cas values the effort (even if Dean would have had to do it for himself) rather than just expecting that Dean will cook for him.

> **Not sure how you managed it, but these veggies are still a little crisp. Perfect.**

> **Glad you like them. I was worried they’d be mushy like those beans the other night.**

> **They weren’t bad, just soft. Not like they wouldn’t have come out of a can that way anyway, at least they weren’t loaded in salt.**

> **Cas, you only talk about nutritional value when something’s on the not-a-fan list. Don’t think I didn’t notice.**

> **Dean, you could feed me mushy beans and dry chicken every night and it would be an improvement over my normal granola bar or leftover Thai food.**

> **:P**

> **Shit, I gotta get back to work. Thanks for the awesome dinner.**

> **Have a good night Cas. See you when you get home.**

That was one thing that  _ had  _ changed since they’d started up this whole friends with benefits thing they had going. Instead of dicking around until midnight before trying to go to sleep, Dean was conked out by 10 most nights. He had an alarm set for 2 so he could move to the couch to greet Cas when he got home. Some nights, he “helped” him in the shower, other nights, he just made them some tea while he waited for Cas to degerm so they could crawl into bed together. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed curling up next to someone at night until they’d fallen into the habit. 

He’d slept through his alarm once, and waking up alone in the morning had left him with an odd sense of wrongness that had lingered the whole day. When he’d talked to Cas about it, and heard how poorly the other man had slept, he’d asked that if he wasn’t on the couch that Cas would at least come in to say good night. It wasn’t that he expected Cas to  _ want _ to sleep with him every night, he just wanted Cas to know that he was always welcome in Dean’s space. 

Which led directly to another thing that had changed. They’d definitely given up personal space. Dean was a tactile person, it was common for him to reach out and touch his friends, a clap on the shoulder, a smack on the head, a hug now and then...With Cas it had been more frequent, especially after the massage, but still, he had kept himself largely in check. Now though, there seemed to be no boundaries. They didn’t even pretend to leave a few inches between them when they sat down, whether it was here or at the Roadhouse. It was normal for Cas to greet him with a kiss to the top of his head when he got home (not anywhere else, because germs, at least until after his shower). It was common for Dean to wrap his arms around Cas’ waist from behind while he folded laundry. They were almost constantly touching, and Dean couldn’t get enough.

He knew it wasn’t real. He wasn’t trying to fool himself into believing that this would last forever or that Cas might actually be falling for him. He  _ knows _ that whatever this thing is that they have going on will go right back to what they had before as soon as Cas finds a guy that he’s actually interested in. Right now though, what they have is perfect. He’d just have to find a way to survive when Cas later because there was no way he was giving this up before he absolutely had to.

In the meantime, he had recipes to research, an hour to spend on the treadmill, and vacuuming to do before bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'm perfectly aware that what these guys have isn't what a friends with benefits situation usually looks like, but let's be honest, they were in a pretty solid relationship before they brought physical intimacy into it...
> 
> Side note: I hope the back and forth texting isn't annoying or confusing. Editing with limited code is hard. Ugh.


	15. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some anniversaries aren't for celebration.
> 
> Fair warning, there be sadness ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Over the years, Dean had developed a method of dealing with grief and sadness. Generally, it was a carefully coordinated mix of keeping himself either too busy or too drunk to think about whatever was getting to him. It had worked perfectly for nearly forty years, and he saw no reason to change that now.

So, he buried himself in paperwork, got elbows deep in an engine, scrubbed the kitchen floor.

When the house was spotless and there was nothing left to do, he grabbed the bottle of Jack and a cut glass tumbler from the liquor cabinet and plopped down on the couch. 

Memories of his dad in the same position, hunkered down on the couch clinging to a bottle, had him on his feet again.

He paced the length of the hall, stared at each photo on the mantel, both of his family and of Cas’, before he found himself kneeling in his closet, digging out the one box that he left packed.

He ignored the pictures of Ben and Lisa, of young Sam, and dug to the bottom for the one framed photo. His mom was radiant in this picture. She was always beautiful, but this had been taken shortly after Sammy was born, and she was glowing with happiness. His Dad’s face shone with love for his little family.

He clutched the frame to his chest for a minute, then stood and went back out to the living room, retrieved his still empty glass and still full bottle, and settled into a place at the dining room table.

He poured himself a measure of whiskey, but let the glass set on the table untouched, as he traced his fingers over his younger self.

“Feels like a lot longer than twenty years since you left Dad.” He huffed out a little laugh at himself. Forty years old and he was getting maudlin. Didn’t even have booze to blame for it.

It was true though, this might be the anniversary of his father’s death, but the man in the photo had been gone long before that night, buried with his wife when Dean was just little.

He wanted to hate him. The man had left Dean to raise his brother when he wasn’t even old enough to cross the street by himself. He’d yelled when Dean had cried, had pounded on him to get him to man up when he’d been a melancholy teen. He had every reason in the world to resent him.

But he was starting to understand. There was no way a person could lose what John had lost and not turn into something different.

He’d felt sympathy, in the early years with Lisa when things were good and he’d thought he was in love. He’d felt bad that his dad had lost someone he cared for so much.

It was different now. Dean thought of all of the things he shared with Cas. The little smiles, text messages, quiet nights on the couch. What he’d had with Lisa, while he’d cared for her, had loved Ben as his own, it was  _ nothing _ compared to what he had with Cas.

He was starting to understand why his dad had broken so completely when he’d lost his mom. 

It wasn’t love. Dean loved Sam and Eileen, Uncle Bobby and Ellen and Jo and his nephews and Charlie. There was no shortage of love in his life.

He could even admit to himself that he loved Cas. He wasn’t a big enough fool to try to deny it. But it was so much more. It was the sense that all was right in the world when Cas was by his side. The peace that he felt in their quiet moments. He wouldn’t say that Cas completed him, he was his own person. It was just...life was  _ more _ with Cas in it. Brighter, happier, more real.

He knew he was loved. He didn’t doubt that, his family was everything.

Cas though, made him feel important, cared for, special. Like it was worth whatever effort it took for Cas to make him smile.

If his mom had made his dad feel like that, and the look on his old man’s face in the photo made Dean think she had, then he could understand.

Cas may not love him, but what he gave to Dean...he couldn’t fathom losing that and coming out unchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. It get's better, I promise.


	16. Joint Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas talk about his resolutions over brunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

The rest of the week drifted by slowly. His brother had called to check in. Sam hadn't mentioned their dad, but he’d clearly been fishing for details on how he’d spent the night. Dean couldn’t really blame him. There had been many years where he’d had to call Sammy to pick him up from some bar or another and just as many where’d he’d called him crying in the middle of the night, barely coherent. To have passed the day without  _ any _ contact was a first, at least in recent memory.

Sammy had always been pretty stoic about it. He held firm that Dean had raised him, maybe with a little help from Bobby and Ellen, but Dean had done the hard parts. He had no trouble reminding Dean that once he’d started going to school all day, they’d only seen enough of the man for Sam to wish he’d just  _ stay _ out at the cabin.

Sure, Dean could understand that. He’d kept Sammy away from Dad as much as possible when the old man was mad, but it was impossible to drown out the yelling, and only so many times he could hide the bruises before his smart little brother noticed.  Still, it would be nice if he could pretend, for Dean’s sake at least, that he missed his dad, at least a little. Just once, it would have been nice for Sammy to just...give him a hug or something, maybe listen to his memories of the good times.

Bobby had made a point of coming to see for himself that Dean was still in once piece. When Dean had been younger, he’d made sure to keep him busy as much as possible. It was where Dean had learned that particular part of his coping routine in fact, but the last couple of years, he’d been around the shop less, so it was up to Dean to manage his shit on his own.

When Friday rolled around, his first real awake time with Cas since that night, Dean was infinitely grateful that nothing was different. He didn’t make a big deal about it, didn’t ask how Dean was doing, didn’t coddle him. They’d ordered take-out and watched a movie, just like any other Friday night. Cas, of all the people in his life, had given him exactly what he’d needed, not pity or platitudes, no, he’d just listened. He’d listened and then he’d held him.

~~~

During their post yoga brunch, Cas had been thoughtful. Dean hoped he wasn’t working on a way to bring up his dad.

“What’s on your mind?” 

“Hmm?”

“I can tell you’re a million miles away. You love eggs Benedict, but you’ve been pushing your English muffin around in your hollandaise for like five minutes. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking about your resolutions.”

“My resolutions?” Of all the things that might be keeping the other man preoccupied (work, bills, his dad, that thing they’d done last night…), Dean hadn’t once considered that it was his  _ resolutions _ that might have made Cas space out.

“Yeah. You used to talk about them a lot, and I think I’ve been benefiting from them as much as you have. You know, eating better, exercising more, saving money.” He looked at Dean, who just nodded. He had no clue where Cas was going with this. “It’s good for me, and I was just thinking that...well, what else is on your list?”

Dean thought about it for a minute. “Just a sec, I saved it.” He retrieved his journal from its home next to his comfy chair and brought it to the kitchen, digging out the folded piece of notebook paper as he walked. He unfolded it and smoothed it out on the counter between their two plates.

  * Save money.
  * Exercise more.
  * Eat better.
  * Take time for myself.
  * Learn a new skill. 
  * Keep a journal.
  * Spend more time with family.
  * Live life to the fullest. 



Cas studied it for a minuted before looking back at Dean. “Like I said, we’ve got the first three nailed. I mean, I hope you’re saving money by living here.”

“No doubt about that. We should probably talk about my rent sometime, especially if you’re going to keep buying groceries.” Cas just scowled at that.

“I don’t feel like I have a problem taking time for myself. In fact, if I had written this list in January, I’d have probably included something about being more social. You’ve definitely helped with that. I mean, aside from the fact that I hang out with you, there’s Charlie and the Roadhouse. So, I’m going to call that a resolution that you helped me keep. And...that’s what I’ve got.”

“You learned a new skill, you made awesome oatmeal last weekend. You said yours was always lumpy before.”

“Dean. I  _ know _ that wasn’t what you meant. You’ve got like forty new cooking techniques, advanced meal prep, healthy menu choices, and make-ahead menus under your belt. I’m not counting  _ oatmeal _ as a win. Besides, I might have a perfect opportunity coming up to make it count. There’s a charge nurse position opening up. I’m thinking of applying for it.”

“Really? I bet you’d be a shoo in. I’ll admit though, I’m not really sure what a charge nurse is.”

Cas chuckled and shook his head. “It’s basically the nurse that supervises the nursing staff for the ward. Does the scheduling, performs evaluations, deals with patient complaints, that kind of thing. It’s a lot more administrative than I’m used to, but it’s interesting to me. Amber, our current charge nurse, is pregnant, and she’d planning on being a stay at home mom. From what she told me, she plans to be done pretty early in her second trimester.”

“Isn’t she the one who set you up on that blind date?”

“Yes. I forgave her for that though. She told me her brother was so mad he wasn’t talking to her. Besides, that turned out to be a pretty fun night.”

Dean remembered. (If he thought of it as their first date, Cas didn’t need to know that.) He just nodded. “So, there will be plenty of new skills for you to master when you get that job.”

“ _ If _ I get that job. If not, I’ve been considering taking a class on massage therapy. One of the palliative therapists said there’s a class over the summer that’s mostly on the weekend.”

“Ooh, do I get to be your practice dummy?” Since they’d started sleeping together, he’d had several occasions to practice his massage skills, and he loved having his hands on Cas like that, knowing that he could care for his lover in such a simple way. He would certainly not mind if Cas wanted to return the favor.

Cas bumped his shoulder with his own. “Maybe once I know I’m not going to hurt you, sure.” He looked back down at the list. “So, I think I’ve got a plan for that one. I have to admit, I’m not really a journal keeper. I write shift notes for work, but...”

“Dude, you don’t have to follow my list. I keep a journal because it helps me stay organized, my thoughts and my days. Anyway, that’s about where I’m stuck. The last two. How do you even know if you’re living life to the fullest?” He skipped over the line about family on purpose. There was further discussion to be had about that.

“I think it’s kind of a summary of all of those other things. You know, you made a decision to stop spending your life trying to make other people happy and to put some effort into making sure you’re healthy and happy. Thanks to you, I’m healthier and happier than I’ve been in a long time. Maybe ever.”

_ Huh. _ That was...a surprisingly accurate assessment of how he’d been feeling when he’d written the list, and of the attitude he’d adopted. “Gotta say I’m on the right track then. I’m healthier, no doubt about that. Don’t ever remember being this happy either.”

“So, that leaves spending more time with family. I kind of feel bad. I monopolize most of your free time.”

“First of all, no. I  _ choose _ to spend time with you because I enjoy it. I’d definitely put that in the ‘Living life to its fullest’ category. Second, Cas, you _are_ family. If you haven’t noticed by now that you’ve been adopted, you’re being willfully obtuse.”

The tips of Cas’ ears went red, which Dean had no trouble admitting was downright adorable. “I know that’s not what you had in mind when you wrote this Dean.”

“So, about that. Bobby asked us to come for dinner tomorrow. I was supposed to talk to you about it last night, but I forgot.”

“Dean, you don’t have to include me. I’m sure you’d rather have dinner with your uncle on your own.”

“I’d  _ rather _ have dinner with you, like we usually do on Sunday night. Regardless, he invited  _ both of us _ , so if you don’t want to go, I’ll just tell him we’ve got other plans.”

“Oh. In that case, I’m not going to be your excuse. I like your uncle.”

“So, I’ll let him know we’ll be there?”

“Yes, and tell him we’re bringing desert. I’m sure Gabriel has something at the bakery that would be appropriate.”

Dean nodded, and Cas stood and grabbed their plates. “I’ll call him before we switch out the laundry then. If you want to come to the bakery with me, I’m pretty sure he serves pie by the slice.” He had the plates in the dishwasher and his phone in hand, which he pointed at Dean. “Call your uncle.” Before Dean could even reply, he was out of the room.

With the mention of pie in the near future, his day was looking even brighter. He hesitated before he picked up the phone.

Bobby’s invitation to dinner had been more of an order than a request. “Boy, you haven’t been over for more than a quick bite after work since you moved. I know you don’t get to spend much time with your boyfriend, but you just bring him with you. He’s a keeper, don’t know why you’re hiding him from me.”

“Bobby, I haven’t been hiding him from you, and we’re not dating.”

“I got eyes ya idjit, and I’ve known ya for a long time. Yer in love, don’t think you can fool me. ‘Sides Ellen tells me you have him at the Roadhouse every week. That don’t seem fair if you ask me.”

There’d been no arguing with him on either point. Aside from the fact that the man was stubborn as the day was long, he was mostly right. Before he’d moved he’d been at Bobby’s house a couple of times a week, now, with how little time he and Cas actually had to spend together, he really only stopped in for a couple of hours after work, maybe once a week. As far as the love thing...well, he wasn’t going to touch that, he was in too deep already, and he knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! I had a horrible stomach flu over the weekend, and I just can't seem to get enough sleep. Honestly, that last chapter kinda took a bit out of me too. Hopefully, this is alright, and not just me being sleep deprived...
> 
> P.S. If anyone knows why that second note, about the boring start, shows up on every chapter, I'd love to know. It was really intended for one of the first chapters, not ALL of them.


	17. Family Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas start working on their resolution to spend more time with family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Cas’ brother was something else.

He’d arrived for dinner three hours earlier than they’d planned. Dean had still been in his pajamas and sweating profusely in the warm kitchen, working through their weekly meal prep, and Cas had just gotten off the treadmill. Neither had showered yet.

“Did I interrupt something?” He said it with a raised eyebrow, giving them an exaggerated once over. “Must have been good, you both look like you-”

“You’re early!” Cas’ squawked non-denial was layered over Dean’s own. “We weren’t expecting…”

Gabe laughed a deep belly laugh.

“I’m just gonna go finish up in the kitchen.” When Cas shot him a pleading glance, he added “Gabe, you wanna join me while Cas jumps in the shower? Dude smells like a locker room after he runs.”

Gabe followed him into the kitchen, still chuckling, and grabbed a seat at the island. After pouring him a cup of coffee and sliding the cream and sugar his way, Dean went back to ladling the white chicken chili he’d been working on into containers before moving on to dishing out the little teriyaki steak rolls and veggie fried rice he’d prepped for tomorrow’s dinner.

“Are you secretly feeding an army?” 

Dean shrugged. “I do most of our meal prep on the weekend so I don’t have to cook after work.”

“Our?”

“Cas can’t cook. I’m pretty sure he survived on lunch meat and peanut butter before I started cooking. This way, I know he’s getting at least one good meal a day.”

“So you make him dinner every day…”

“He buys the groceries!” Dean could feel himself getting defensive.

Gabe held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. “No, I think it’s awesome. I know the guy would probably starve if the deli counter at the grocery store closed. I’m just surprised. I don’t think Philandering Fergus ever cooked for Cassie.”

Dean wrinkled his nose at the mention of the guy. Everything he learned about Cas’ ex made him dislike the slimebag a little more. “Yeah, well, cooking for one sucks.”

Their conversation mellowed after that. By the time Cas rejoined them, they’d covered the fact that the cake had been a hit last weekend, how awesome Gabe’s bakery was, how glad they were that spring seemed to finally be on it’s way. 

Cas joined him at the counter he was wiping down, letting his hand rest lightly on his lower back. “I thought I smelled that white chicken chili…”

“Already in the fridge. Thought you could take a turn being chef and make us sandwiches for lunch.”  He wouldn’t admit that the pouty face Cas shot him was freaking adorable and almost had him digging the bowls right back out. “Don’t want to ruin your dinner with a big lunch.”

“Ooh, what are we having?” This was from Gabe, who’d been watching them intently throughout the exchange. 

“Spaghetti and meatballs.” Dean grinned while he spoke, he knew it was one of Cas’ favorites, and he’d planned for extra meatballs, both for the freezer and for meatball subs later in the week.

Cas leaned over the counter toward his brother. “Gabe, you remember that restaurant by our apartment in college, the one with the best meatballs ever?”

“We ate there like twice a week. How could I forget?”

“Dean’s meatballs are better.” Cas stood back up with his pronouncement, as if he expected Gabe to deny the possibility that such a thing could be true.

Before Gabe could make a crack about his balls, Dean was headed down the hall to grab clothes for his shower.

Gabe was gone when he got out of the shower. 

“He’ll be back. He insists that we absolutely  _ have _ to have tiramisu for dessert, so he went to get the ingredients. From what I understand, it has to be in the fridge for several hours, so…”

“Mmm. Good stuff.” He mumbled it into the side of Cas’ neck, wrapping his arms around him from behind. Cas let his weight rest back against him for a minute until they heard the door open, then he moved away quickly. 

_ Well, that answers that question. _ He’d been wondering what Cas had told his brother about their...whatever it was. Clearly, while standing close was fine, as Cas had demonstrated earlier, actual displays of affection were off the table.

They spent the majority of the day in the kitchen, first watching Gabe prep dessert, spawning an interesting conversation about the origins of the desert in Italian bordellos, then switching positions so Dean could get the sauce simmering and work on the meatballs. 

Throughout all of it, Gabe teased and flirted. Dean was pretty sure the guy was trying to trip him up, but what Dean couldn’t figure out was whether he was trying to antagonize him into admitting his feelings for Cas or if he actually suspected Dean of being a player like ‘Philandering Fergus.” Either way, while his teasing and flirting was generally humorous, Dean was on edge by the time they finally sat down to eat.

After several months of living with the man, Dean was intimately familiar with the porn-worthy noises Cas produced when he was eating something he enjoyed. He was completely unprepared for Gabe to produce a similar, if exaggerated, set of moans and whimpers. His body seemed confused as to which stimulus it was supposed to respond to, and he was left both uncomfortable and mildly aroused by the time they’d finished. 

He was glad that they moved directly into dessert, and that Gabe had departed only minutes after the plates had been cleared, noting that he had to get home soon, as his mornings generally started at about the same time Cas’ day ended. 

After walking his brother to the door, Cas shooed Dean out of the kitchen, citing that it was common knowledge that the cook shouldn’t have to do cleanup. There was little left to do, between the dishwasher and his clean-as-you-go habits, so he didn’t feel guilty about taking his wine to the couch.

Less than ten minutes later, Cas was snuggled into his side with his own wine glass in hand. Dean let his muscles relax. It had been harder than he’d expected to keep his distance from Cas. He hadn’t realized how often they actually touched until he’d been consciously monitoring his hands so that Gabe didn’t get the wrong idea. 

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a hand on his thigh and Cas quiet voice close to his ear.  

“That went surprisingly better than I expected.”

Dean responded with a non-committal hum and pressed a light kiss to the top of Cas’ head.

“I mean, I love my brother, but I was a little worried he’d spend the whole time harassing you about ‘your intentions’ or whatever. He must like you. He’s never actually made dessert fresh like that before. Usually he just grabs something from the bakery when he comes over.”

Dean wasn’t sure if he agreed with Cas’ statement, but it did tip the scale on his internal debate on Gabe’s intentions with his teasing. Regardless, he couldn’t help but hope that if Cas’ brother liked him, maybe he had a fighting chance at getting Cas to realize he might be good for something more than just a bed buddy…

~~~

Cas had clearly been excited when he’d come home two days after dinner at Bobby’s. He’d dragged Dean into the shower with barely a greeting and had his back to the wall, literally seconds after he’d finished his perfunctory scrubdown. When Dean had finally recovered from the epicly satisfying blowjob (favor of course returned!) and they were out of the shower, he inquired about the good mood.

“Not that I’m not thrilled with the results, but what’s got you so worked up?” 

“I got the job!”

“The charge nurse position? That’s fucking awesome! I didn’t even know you’d applied for it. Last time we talked about it, it was just a maybe.”

“I didn’t. Amber put my name in for the position and from what I understand, they don’t interview internal candidates. The administrator told me it was based on performance evaluations and supervisor recommendations. He said he’s never had a candidate with so many positive patient notes in their file.”

“I knew you’d be a shoo in!” He nudged Cas with a shoulder and threw a towel over his head to dry his hair, leaning in for a kiss when he’d finished. “So, when do you start? Does your shift change? Hey does this mean you can fire Zach now?”

“Slow your roll. I start next Monday, I’ll be working side by side with Amber and doing online training for the first two weeks, but my new shift will start this week.”

“And? Don’t leave me hanging, what’s the new schedule look like? Please tell me you don’t have to work weekends.”

“I don’t have to work weekends.” Cas grinned widely at him, and Dean felt like his lungs stopped working. The man was goddamned beautiful when he was happy. “I’ll be working 8 to 5.”

With the half hour commute to the hospital and Dean’s own obsessive need see the shop both open and close, their days would line up almost perfectly. Dean couldn’t control his smile, but Cas’ had dimmed a bit, and he looked away. 

“I hope you don’t get sick of me.”

It was said low and quiet, such a vast change from his previous tone, that Dean couldn’t stop himself from drawing Cas tight to his chest.

“Never. We’ll be able to have dinner together instead of just texting about it. We can share a pot of coffee in the morning instead of me dumping part of mine and setting the timer. We can go to bed at the same time instead of having to set an alarm so I actually get to see you at night. It’s gonna be awesome babe.”

_ Babe. Shit. OK, keep calm, maybe he won’t notice. _

Cas snuggled deeper into his chest. “Yeah, I think it will.”

They cuddled up into bed, and Cas was out like a light in minutes. Dean wasn’t so lucky. His mind was running sprints.

After the birthday party Cas had thrown him, there was no way Dean was going to let Cas have a milestone like this without a celebration. It was short notice, but if he could get Gabe and Charlie on board, they could probably pull it off.

By the weekend, everything was sorted. Instead of making dinner for Jody and Donna on Sunday, the women would bring dinner to them. Sam and Eileen had volunteered for salad duty (mostly, Dean suspected, because Sam doubted that there would  _ be _ salad if he didn’t provide it.), and Gabe had promised the perfect dessert, though he wouldn’t tell Dean what it was.

He’d managed to steal Cas’ phone long enough to snag Amber’s number, and had gotten the low down on what might make a perfect gift for a new charge nurse. It had only taken one long lunch hour to get that sorted out, even after Charlie had decided that they should all go in together to make it an ‘epic gift basket.’ Dean was pretty sure she’d done that just so she didn’t have to figure out what to get him on her own. She had, however, taken care of collecting funds from everyone and had taken his giant pile of shopping bags to a nearby flower shop and come back with the coolest thing he’d ever, seen, so he couldn’t complain too much. Plus, he had an ace up his sleeve.

On Sunday morning, he’d rushed through their weekly meal prep.  _ Sorry Cas, looks like we’re eating from the freezer a couple of times this week.  _

When the doorbell rang (at a normal volume, Dean had finally gotten around to fixing that problem) at one, Cas didn’t seem surprised. 

“Does anyone in our family know what time dinner is normally served?”

Dean couldn’t contain his grin. After an early arrival by Gabe and an early start at Bobby’s Dean guessed it wasn’t such a surprise that Donna and Jody might follow suit. Plus, he’d said  _ our family _ .  _ OURS _ . He wouldn’t deny that the words had settled warm and fuzzy in his chest.

Cas ushered Bobby into the living room with a clearly puzzled expression. Shit, Dean had to think fast.

“Uncle Bobby, I thought you were gonna come by the shop for that paperwork.” Now, Bobby looked as confused as Cas did. Fortunately, the doorbell saved him. “I’ll get it!”

He rushed past the two men to the door.  _ Yeah, not very covert dumbass. You should have found a way to get him out of the house. _ Dean and Bobby were right behind him when he opened the door to Gabe.

“Surprise!” Gabe grinned wide and thrust a very cold container into Dean’s hand before giving his brother a hug. “I’m guessing, since you’re standing here with your eyebrows all scrunched up that Dean forgot that getting the surprise-ee out of the house is a key part of throwing a surprise party.”

“Surprise party?” Cas had turned his confused face toward Dean now.

“Shit. I wanted it to be awesome.”

“You’re throwing me a surprise party?”

“For your promotion. Clearly, however, I am way out of my depth. I can’t believe I forgot-” He was cut off, and nearly had the wind knocked out of him, by Cas lunging at him for a hug.

“You planned a party for me?” It was mumbled into his neck. 

He sounded like he was torn between laughing and crying. Dean was about to panic when he remembered his own reaction to Cas’ surprise birthday party. He wrapped his arms tight around him and spoke low into Cas’ ear for only him to hear. “ Dude, you did an awesome thing. We are totally gonna celebrate the shit out of this. You deserve it.”

Charlie walked into their moment. Literally. They hadn’t closed the door behind Gabe, and were in fact standing right next to it, so she just walked right in carrying the huge gift arrangement.

“Ummm...Surprise?”  _ Shit. _ When Dean finally looked up from his study of Cas’ face, Gabe and Bobby were wearing equally sappy ‘awww’ faces and Charlie just looked lost. 

“I forgot the part about getting him out of the house.”

“Shit. I knew we were forgetting something.” Charlie looked around for a place to put the basket. Dean finally managed to close the door and waved to Gabe and Bobby for their coats.

Cas pulled away from him with a giant grin. “You guys are the best.” He gave Charlie a little side hug and pointed at the hearth. “You can set that by the fireplace if you want. It looks heavy.”

“Heavier than you’d think. Where’s everybody else? I thought we were supposed to be here at one.” The doorbell rang as if on cue.

“I’m so sorry we’re late! Is he here yet?” Jody and Donna had burst in without waiting for the door to be answered. Dean grimaced and gestured in Cas’ direction.

Donna burst out laughing. Jody, for her part, tried to hold back. She was successful but for the broad smile. “You forgot to send him on an errand?”

“Yes. I suck at this.”

“Oh, honey, nobody expects you to be perfect on your first try. Next time I’m sure you’ll remember.” The clearly conciliatory statement had Gabe and Bobby joining Donna in her laughter, and Dean throwing up his hands.

Sam and his family arrived  shortly after everyone had finally settled down. Evidently, even if you planned to leave half an hour early, getting two kids out of the house could be a challenge. 

Despite the rough start, they settled into the living room comfortably and Cas looked thrilled. He managed to answer all their questions about his new job with enthusiasm, and generally managed to look absolutely freaking adorably shy about the fact that they’d actually planned a party  _ for him _ . (He might have also blushed beet red when Bobby made a comment about how maybe he’d actually get to see them more often now that they wouldn’t have to hole up all weekend to make up for lost time, but that was adorable too, and Jody got the room back under control with a simple but very stern glance at the two small boys in the group.)

Dessert, as Gabe had promised, was perfect. The honey apple pie just might be Dean’s new favorite, especially when topped with the homemade honey ricotta ice cream. He couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate combination to follow the fried chicken and roasted potatoes that they’d had for dinner. Plus, Dean learned something new about Cas. The man  _ loved _ honey. He tucked that away for future recipe searches.

Finally, when they had all the dishes in the dishwasher and the kitchen had been set to rights, they planted Cas in the corner of the couch and Dean plopped his gift in his lap.

The florist had done an excellent job of folding and shaping the variety of compression socks to look like flowers and tucking them into little plastic pots stuffed with the various pieces of the sets of scrubs he’d gotten. The new water bottle and thermal mug were tucked among them, and the card was set in the little pronged forkish thing that usually came with flowers.

Charlie chattered while Cas gently untangled each piece of the arrangement. “We all chipped in, but Dean did the shopping. He had the inside scoop on sizes. He spent like two hours at the store. I was about to send out a search party.” Dean flushed at the look of sheer appreciation Cas shot him.

“Umm, I stole Amber’s number from your phone. I had no idea what to get you.”

Cas laughed. “No wonder she was so weird about my weekend plans.” He looked down at the sock he had just finished unrolling and laughed again. “Oh my god, where did you find compression socks with  _ bees _ on them?” Dean might not have known about the honey, but he'd damn sure noticed that there were about a hundred bee printed items, most noticeably several coffee mugs and Cas' favorite boxers, scattered around the house. 

The party wound down quickly once the gift was opened and Cas had thanked them profusely. By seven, they were finally alone on the couch.

Cas snuggled into his side, and tilted his head up to look at Dean.

“You done good babe.” He pressed a kiss to Dean’s chin. 

“Yeah?” His voice might have cracked a little.  _ Do not freak out. You said it first. It might not mean anything. _

“Yeah.”

Dean planted an answering kiss on the top of his head before leaning forward and lifting the top off the ottoman to retrieve his last surprise. He handed the wrapped package to Cas.

“Dean, you didn’t have to.”

“The other present was from all of us, this one’s just from me.” He snuggled back into their previous position, burying his face into Cas’ hair.

He removed the paper delicately, without ripping it, and lifted the cover off the box to reveal the three items Dean had kept out of the gift basket.  Cas traced the stainless steel bracelet with his finger before lifting it to look at it more 

“Amber said you can wear jewelry as long as it is either under your scrubs or can be sanitized. It’s stainless steel, and the guy at the shop says you should be able to clean it with just about anything as long as you rinse it.” 

“You had it engraved?”

“Yeah, you always say you’re just a nurse, and I wanted you to remember…” The jeweler had grinned at him, but not commented when he’d handed her the post-it note with the text he’d settled on.  _ Nurses are superheroes who wear scrubs instead of tights.  _ Cas slipped the bracelet on his wrist.

“There’s no such thing as just a nurse.” 

Cas was looking up at him intently, and Dean was torn between kissing him and hiding his face. He settled on lightening the mood by moving to the next part of the gift. “I got the t-shirt made at the same place Bobby got the ones for the shop done. It’s just clipart, but I thought it was fun.” It was the same soft fabric that he knew Cas loved, and they’d added the ‘scrub life’ logo he’d found without a problem. Cas laughed when he read it, but it was cut short by a gasp when he saw the last item in the box.

Honestly, this was the item that Dean had put the most thought into. Amber had suggested that he get Cas a family photo to put on his new desk. He’d gone back and forth with himself about a hundred times. He’d almost chosen the family photo that they’d taken at his birthday party, and it was actually behind the one showing in the frame, but he’d settled on a picture that Charlie had taken with her phone at the Roadhouse. They were sitting close together in the booth, both with their mouths clearly full, burgers in hand, and they were just looking at each other grinning.

“It’s for your new desk.”

Cas traced their faces like he’d traced the bracelet before looking up at Dean with a watery grin. “I love it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this post is so late! With the exception of my trip, I've been trying to post at least every other day, but these chapters kind of got away from me. I know the two sections don't really fit together, and I could have posted it in two halves, but I've got an idea for the next pair of chapters, so I didn't want it to drag out. Please don't hate me!!


	18. Big Little Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's been keeping a secret from the people in his life, and it isn't what you're thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Having Cas home every night was awesome.

OK, he’d admit, the man was not a morning person. They’d managed to get into an argument about the music that Dean’s alarm clock played (which Dean still thought was completely stupid as it had never bothered Cas before), but overall, it was nice having time to relax together and actually talk about their days instead of just texting in the little bit of time that one of them could take a break. He’d take grumpy mornings and tired nights over loneliness hands down.

What he hadn’t considered was Wednesdays. Nobody knew about Wednesdays. Not Sam, not Charlie. 

“What’s up?” Cas’ question startled him out of his thoughts. 

“Hmm?”

“You haven’t touched your beer and we’re watching an infomercial about roof sealant.”

He really wasn’t sure how to approach this. “See the thing is, I have this thing I do most Wednesdays.”

“Oh, well, if you’re worried about dinner, you don’t have to. I can just order take-out. It’s actually been a while since I’ve had Thai.”

He couldn’t believe Cas was willing to just accept that he had plans without further questions. He was either really set on making sure Dean didn’t get sick of him, or he just didn’t care. Dean wasn’t sure which was more bothersome. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…”

“Dean, you really don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable. I just thought you looked stressed.” Cas had leaned away from him now, and that was exactly what Dean didn’t want. Instead of just pulling him back in, he took up Cas’ usual position and snuggled under his arm with his face buried into Cas’ chest.

“I appreciate it, I really do. I just don’t know how to tell you this.”

“Whatever it is, it’s got to be better than the things I’ve got running through my head at the moment.”

Dean tilted his face up at that. “What?”

“Dean, we talk about everything. In the time that I’ve known you, not once have you steered away from a conversation. Given some of the things we  _ have _ talked about, I’m a little worried. So far, I’ve considered meeting your probation officer, a regular appointment with a prostitute, and AA.”

Dean grinned up at him. Cas was right, they talked about everything, even things they probably  _ shouldn’t _ talk about. 

“It’s nothing like that, I promise. OK, get it together Winchester.”

Cas grinned at him and kissed the top of his head.

“So, you remember Lisa? I’ve mentioned her a couple of times, the one with the kid?”

“Yes…”

Now Cas actually  _ looked  _ worried. Best to just get this out. He tucked his chin a little closer to Cas’ chest and just…  

“So, I practically raised Ben. I mean, he wasn’t even three when I moved in, and we were a family for  _ ten years _ . I thought him how to pee standing up for chrissake. When I left, everyone expected me to just...I don’t know, forget about that because he wasn’t my kid. But Cas, he kinda was. I couldn’t just, stop loving him just because I didn’t love his mom. So, we kept in touch. He used to call me every day when I first moved out. Then Lisa found out and fucking  _ flipped _ out. Threatened to call the cops and wouldn’t let me talk to him at all.”

Cas was growling. Like actually growling. But he hadn’t said anything, so Dean kept going. “So one day, I get a call from the youth center, and it’s Ben. Lisa had forgotten to pick him up from his after-school program, and they were closing. Ben told them I was his Dad, and I was still on his emergency contact form there, so I went and picked him up and got him dinner and brought him home. She was just there, waiting for him. I have never,  _ ever _ seen Ben so mad. He just lit into her. Called her out for keeping me from him, for forgetting to pick him up, because apparently this wasn’t the first time, it was just the first time he couldn’t get a hold of her when it happened, for feeding him pizza all the time because she was too lazy to cook. Just let it all out. She was stunned at first, and then she tried to blame me for ‘filling his head full of bullshit’ or something like that, I don’t know. Regardless, Ben stood right in front of her, he was all of thirteen at the time but he looked like a little man, and told her that if she couldn’t be a mom, then he’d probably be better off calling family services, because foster care might suck, but he’d looked into it, and if I petitioned the court and went through the training, he was pretty sure he could get placed with me after a few months.” Dean blew out a breath. He hadn’t thought about that night in years. He’d forgotten how proud he was of that kid for standing up for himself.

“Did you?”

“Petition the courts? No. I didn’t have to. She started bawling and apologizing and making promises before he was even finished. I mean, let’s be honest, neither of us really believed her, but we did set some pretty solid ground rules. First, he got to call me whenever he wanted. That was a big one. He made sure she knew that he’d be letting me know if she didn’t get her shit together. Cas, I’d have taken him in a heartbeat, but she really did straighten up quite a bit after that. We also set up kind of a visitation thing, so I got to see him.”

“Wednesdays.”

“Yes, and I try to take him camping or something fun in the summer..”

“Dean, that sounds like a perfectly reasonable,  _ healthy _ thing to do.”

“Right?” Dean had thought so too.

“I guess I’m not sure why you were so nervous about it?”

“So, you know Sam practices family law.” Cas nodded. “After what Ben had said, I wanted to be prepared, just in case Lisa really couldn’t...anyway. I talked to Sam about it. He...let’s just say, he highly disapproved. He thought I was just trying to clean up another mess, you know? And he dragged Bobby into it. I’ll give him credit, Bobby sat Sam down and told him he should know better than most people that family don’t end in blood, but Sam...he’s stubborn. He wouldn’t let it go. So I just...stopped talking about it.” Cas was wearing his war face. Dean traced the lines between his brows. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

His face cleared immediately. “No. Dean, you constantly amaze me. You are the most caring, thoughtful, loving person that I know. I have to admit, I have the distinct urge to throttle your brother. He’s a fucking father. How could he think you could just turn it off?”

“Yeah, well, he was barely a dad at that point. I think Billy might have been one when that whole thing went down.”

“One year is enough! How could he think that you,  _ you _ of all people, could just walk away from your kid?”

_ Fucking finally _ . Finally somebody understood. Ben might not have been his biologically, but he was _his_ in every way that mattered.

“So, do you have plans for tomorrow?”

Cas understood his intention immediately. “I couldn’t intrude. Especially since you didn’t see him last week.”

“That was a scheduling conflict. He had to study for a huge test. I’d really like you to meet him. If you want to I mean.”

“I would love to meet your son. Will you tell me about him?”

Dean grabbed his beer and snuggled back into Cas’ side. Ben was an awesome kid, and he finally had someone who wanted to hear the fifteen years of stories he had to share.

~~~

He’d desperately wanted them to get along. Somehow, despite the fact that he only saw Ben once a week, it was even more important than Cas liking Charlie. He couldn’t have been more pleased.

Not only had conversation flowed pretty smoothly, aside from Ben’s atomic bomb, the kid had felt comfortable enough with Cas to both ask for his advice with his girlfriend’s college plan and tease him mercilessly about his lack of outdoors skills. He’d never forget the expression on Cas’ face when Ben had looked him dead in the eye and said “Don’t worry dude, the cabin’s not like real camping, it has beds and running water. I promise we won’t let the bears get you.” He couldn’t help his laughter. It was practically word for word the argument he’d made to Lisa the first time he’d taken Ben up to the cabin.

There was the matter of the training program though, and he definitely wanted to talk to Cas more about that. Not only was he worried that he’d suck as a teacher, there was the rest of his family to consider. He was pretty sure Bobby would support him if he decided to move forward with it, but what would Sam think about it? _ Fuck it.  _ His little brother had said his piece years ago, and Dean had done his part by keeping a big part of his life separate. If Sam couldn’t deal with this by now, they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, we're seventeen chapters in. I know you all know by now that Dean is a caregiver. I just couldn't reconcile that with him being OK with leaving Ben behind when he left Lisa, especially since he knew she wasn't a great mom. I'll be honest, I'm not really sure where this is going, but I just couldn't let that go on.


	19. Lover and a Fighter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas gets an email from his sister that has him strung pretty tight, and Sam chooses the worst time to get on his bad side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Last Friday when Cas had gotten home from work, Dean had gotten a taste of Cas’ ready-for-the-weekend mood. He’d been whistling, had given Dean a kiss, and had sung in the shower, loudly. He’d been particularly cuddly throughout their movie night, even though Charlie had kept giving them that ‘you guys are so _cute_ ’ look that she usually reserved for small animals and children. He’d been happy.

This Friday, Cas was not happy. Dean wouldn’t say he slammed the door behind him when he came in, but there was definitely some muscle behind it. His hair, which generally looked perfectly well fucked, was standing up like he’d been trying to pull it out in handfuls, and he’d given up on taking off his coat and was just...thumping his head on the wall?

Dean stepped closer and put his hand between Cas’ forehead and the wall. The last thing the guy needed was a giant bruise.

“So, Zach?” When Cas came home from work in this kind of mood, it was almost always caused by that flaming bag of shit.

Cas shook his head where it was still resting on Dean’s hand, stopping with his cheek pressed to Dean’s palm. “Worse. Gabe.”

“Hmm. Wanna tell me about it?” He didn’t know Gabe all that well, but he knew the little baker could be a tease. He vaguely remembered Cas saying something about worrying he’d tease Dean more. He couldn’t really imagine what he might have done to get this reaction.

“I got an email from my sister Anna today. Evidently she and her family are coming to stay with us for Easter weekend. They’ll be here next Friday night, probably sometime after dinner.”

“OK?” He wasn’t sure how the two things were related, but he figured Cas would get to it eventually.

“Apparently, they’re very excited to meet my new boyfriend and his family. She says that Gabe has had so many wonderful things to say about you, and that she just can’t wait to meet the guy who finally treats me right.”

Still not really...Oh, _boyfriend_. Dammit Gabe. Couldn’t just leave well enough alone.

“I’m really sorry Cas, I can make myself scarce for the weekend if you want. I’m sure I could crash with Bobby.”

“NO! I mean, no. I don’t want to make you give up your space. I just...She’s been so disappointed that I can’t find someone, and she sounded so happy. I just don’t know how to tell her we’re not actually dating.”

The answer to that was simple. “So don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t tell her. I’m sure we can pretend to be madly in love for one weekend.” _Not that I’d have to actually pretend, but whatever. For one weekend, I can pretend what we have isn’t gonna end the minute a better guy comes along._

Cas made a slightly strangled sound, looking vaguely like he might vomit. Not exactly the response Dean was looking for.

“I couldn’t…” He shook his head.

Couldn’t what? Lie to his family? Pretend to love Dean? “I’m sorry, it was a bad idea.”

“No. I mean, we already invited your family over for Easter, and she _knows_ that because we invited Gabe, who told her. If it was just my family, fine, but I couldn’t ask you to lie to your family like that Dean.”

“Pshh. If you haven’t noticed, my family pretty much believes what they want to believe, and they believe we’re dating. No amount of denial on my part has changed their mind.”

Cas tilted his head. “I wondered about that. When you moved in I mean. Bobby said we were a good match, and your brother gave me that talk, and Jody and Donna threatened me and compared me to Lisa.”

“Yeah, I think Charlie might have had a hand in that.” He remembered getting a couple of really weird phone calls about how happy people were that he’d _finally_ moved on right after she’d called around to invite people to his moving party.

“That would...not surprise me. Regardless, I just...How would it work?”

“Well, I’m guessing that your sister and her family, she’s the one with the kids, right?” Cas nodded. “So they get here, and you introduce me as Dean. Then, we chat a little and get them set up in their rooms, and maybe watch a family friendly movie. We might have to snuggle on the couch, you know, just for show. Then, when bedtime rolls around, we go to bed in the same room. In the morning, we get up and probably shower. We’ll have breakfast. You might kiss me when you refill your coffee…” Cas waved his hand.

“OK, OK, I get it. We go about our lives like we normally do.”

“Pretty much. I mean, when you and Fergus were dating, did you make it a point to make big declarations of love in front of your family?”

Cas wrinkled his nose. “Fergus met Anna exactly once, for an hour. She disliked him immediately and would only visit if he was going to be out of town.”

“So, yeah. I’m guessing we’re probably in the clear. I mean, if it’s gonna make you uncomfortable, I can just move the Easter dinner thing to Bobby’s house, and you can tell them I had a family emergency or something. I could make some stuff in advance that just has to be tossed in the oven so you'll do dinner. That way, you can still have an awesome boyfriend, you just don’t have to put on an act.”

“Dean…”

“I just want to do whatever’s easiest for you babe. No worries either way.”

Cas shook his head. “We have to do something about the yard. No way are we having our family here for _Easter_ and not at least getting it raked first.”

Cas’ change of topic, again, was a little jarring, but Dean absolutely didn’t care. He’d agreed! Dean would break out a rake right now if that’s what Cas wanted. “Done. I think there’s flowers popping up in the beds out front, but you can’t really tell with how full of crap they are. We’ll have it looking perfect well before they get here, I promise.”

Cas shrugged out of his coat, kicked off his shoes, and gave Dean a quick kiss and headed down the hall, whistling.

~~~

Dean had texted Eileen about the slight change in weekend plans, rather than Sam. Honestly, he didn’t want to argue about whether or not it was Dean’s responsibility to help with the yard work (It’s in the damned lease Sam!), he just wanted to let them know so if they wanted to reschedule they could.

Eileen reminded Dean why she was one of his favorite people when she was actually excited about the change of plans. Evidently, his brother had ‘made the executive decision to hire a lawn service’ because he thought they were too busy and robbed Eileen of her chance to ‘play in the dirt.’ Dean suspected it had a lot less to do with how busy they were than it did with the fact that Sam hated raking. Regardless, Eileen had decided to find a sitter for the boys, and had promised they’d come ready to work.

He and Cas had gone to the lawn and garden store and had picked up a couple of flats of annuals to plant with the irises and lilies that he'd noticed, and had even gotten most of the raking done. By the time the other couple arrived, all that was left to do was trim the trees and bushes around the yard and tackle the flower beds.

Sam, it seemed, didn’t hate all yard work, and volunteered to man the electric trimmer with a level of excitement that had Dean slightly worried about the fate of the shrubbery. Within hours, the yard was looking fit for a garden show in Dean’s opinion. He snuggled up to Cas’ back and pressed a kiss to the smear of dirt on his neck. “So? Does it look good enough for Easter?” He teased.

“Quit molesting your boyfriend and go get cleaned up. You promised us steaks on the grill. I’m starving!”

At Sam’s teasing, Cas stiffened up for a second, and then laughed. He turned his face toward Dean’s. “OK, you were right.” He pressed a quick, and slightly awkward, kiss to Dean’s nose over his shoulder before he turned and gave Dean a little shove. “You heard what he said. Get to it babe.”

Dean laughed and headed into the house.

~~~

Eileen and Cas had volunteered for cleanup duty, leaving Dean and Sam on the deck with their beer. Dean knew Cas had maneuvered it that way intentionally. They’d talked about him needing to have a private conversation with Sam, and Cas made sure it was possible. Dean cleared his throat.

“So, I wanted to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind.”

“Shoot, you know I’m always ready to listen.”

Dean snorted. That would change in about five seconds. “It’s about Ben.”

“Who?”

“Ben, you know, my kid? That I raised?”

“Dean…” Sam’s face had instantly clouded, and he stood up from his chair, pacing to the edge of the deck.

“Sam, just hear me out OK?”

“I thought you let this go years ago Dean. He’s not your kid and he’s not your responsibility.” His voice had risen steadily, and he was shouting by the time he'd finished. Dean stood to face him. Before he could respond, Cas was standing beside him, his hand gently resting on Dean's lower back. Eileen, too, had come back outside at Sam’s shouting, though she remained in the doorway.

“Dean?”

“It’s OK Cas, I was just about to tell Sam that we invited Ben to dinner on Sunday.” Cas nodded, but he didn’t step away. “I know you don’t approve Sam, and I’ve kept him away from you out of courtesy, but he’s my son, whether you accept that or not, and I’d like to be able to spend one holiday with my _entire_ family before he graduates.”

Sam stepped in closer, but didn’t lower his voice. “He’s not your fucking problem Dean! You have to let Lisa deal with her own shit!”

Suddenly, Sam was laying on the deck, holding his face, and Cas was standing over him. “Ben is not a _problem_ that has to be _dealt_ with. He is Dean’s _son_.”

“You punched me.”  _Holy fuck, Cas just knocked Sam on his ass!_ He was pretty sure that shouldn't be hot.

Cas crossed his arms and took a step back. He actually looked a little sheepish. “I apologize for losing my temper. I just couldn’t watch you make this harder on Dean than you already have.”

Eileen had come to stand next to Sam. She kicked him lightly in the ribs. “You deserved a hell of a lot more than a punch Sam Winchester. You actually _specialize_ in adoption law. You should know better than _anyone_ that a parent isn’t defined by biology. How would you feel if we separated and I wouldn’t let you see Billy and Hunter?”

“They’re _my_ kids!” Sam had sat up now, and was moving to stand. Eileen threw her hands up.

“Dean lived with Ben for ten years! Ten! Years! You don’t think Dean feels the same way about his boy that you do about yours?” Sam had given up on getting to his feet and was actually starting to look a little ashamed.

Possibly, he should have had Eileen in on the conversation he’d had with Sam five years ago, clearly she could have made his point far better than he had.

“I didn’t think about it like that.”

Eileen and Cas threw their arms up in identical expressions of irritation, and Eileen turned and stomped back toward the house. She turned at the door to point at Sam. “We are going to talk about this when we get home. Now apologize to your brother.” The door slammed loudly in her wake.

Cas reached out a hand to help Sam up. He inspected his jaw carefully. “I really am sorry for hitting you. I don't think it'll bruise. I’ve never actually…”

“I could kind of tell. You might want to put some ice on your hand. She’s right though, I deserved it. Thanks for sticking up for my brother.” He clapped Cas on the shoulder.

Cas turned to him, and Dean drew close for a second. Cas pressed his forehead to Dean’s. “I’m sorry.”

Dean kissed him gently and shoved him toward the house. “Go make sure Eileen doesn’t break any dishes. She’s pretty pissed.”

Sam chuckled, and Cas sent him a weak grin before heading into the house. Dean watched him close the door gently behind him before turning to Sam.

“I’m really sorry. He’s actually...No. You know what Sammy? Only you could incite violence in an oncology nurse with the patience of a saint.”

Sam laughed. “Only you could inspire that kind of loyalty.”

Dean quirked his eyebrow.

“I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am for acting that way about Ben. I just…”

“I don’t get it man. You’re usually all about family. I mean, you adopted Charlie the minute you met her.”

“I didn’t want to see you get saddled with another kid, ok!”

“What?”

“Dean, I know how much work kids are. I know what you had to give up to keep me from going into the foster system. You dropped out and got your GED so you could feed me! Then you somehow came up with money to pay for my dorm. When you started talking about moving Ben in with you, all I could think was that you’d never get to have your own life.”

“Sammy…” What did he even say to that? He’d never once considered Sam a burden. “I didn’t...You’re my brother.”

“Yeah, Dean. Your brother, whose diapers you changed, who you taught to read and tie his shoes, who you sang to sleep at night, and fed. You know you were my dad as much as you are Ben’s.”

Dean just shook his head. The kid was kind of making his point for him if he thought about what he was saying. “I just…”

“I could have had a built in babysitter!”

Dean huffed out a laugh. “Might not be too late. He’s pretty set on Lawrence State.”

“Yeah? What’s he going for? They have some pretty unique programs over there. Really well respected.”

Dean sat back down with his beer, grinning. “He got accepted into their mechanical engineering/automotive technology program.”

“Wow! That’s really exclusive. One of our intern’s boyfriend is doing it. I guess they only accept like 50 students per year.”

Dean had been proud before, but now he was outright impressed. “He’s super smart. Studies more than I think even you did. Only missed having a perfect SAT score by a few points. He got a full academic scholarship, so he only has to cover his living expenses.”

“That’s...wow. So, he’s going to work on cars like you, huh?”

Dean’s grin got even wider. “He’s been talking about it since the first time I let him help me change the oil on that old truck I used to drive.”

“I just...I feel like I’ve missed so much. Obviously you’ve kept in touch with him.”

“Yup.” He popped the p sound. He wanted to be a little bitter. It was Sam’s own fault he’d missed out on Ben’s life. He couldn’t stay mad though, not at Sammy. “When he was younger we talked on the phone a lot and hung out when we could, but he’s pretty much got his own thing going on most of the time now. Still, I see him at least once a week.”

“That’s...that’s really good.” Sam looked like he wanted to say something, and Dean could guess what was on his mind. How much _responsibility_ he was taking for Lisa’s _problem_.

“Sam...I spend time with him. I talk to him. I buy him presents for Christmas and his birthday and he gets me a father’s day card. I take him camping in the summer. I don’t pay child support. I don’t buy his school clothes or whatever else you’re thinking.” Ben’s college fund was none of Sam's goddamned business.

“I didn’t, I mean... I’m sorry. What’s he like? I mean, you said he’s smart, but...does he like sports, is he a sci-fi nerd like you? What’s he into? Has he met Cas yet?”

For the second time in under two weeks, Dean settled in to talk about his kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I know violence is never the answer. I do not, under any circumstances, advocate for cold-cocking somebody to make a point. Cas, is NOT a violent person.
> 
> I will admit, however, that I kind of agree with Eileen. Sam deserved it.


	20. Setting the Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's so much to be done before their family invades for the holiday weekend, and Dean's got a list for all of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. This one is for the "Mutual Pining" square (B10).  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

Monday morning, when Charlie walked into the shop, she was holding an envelope. When she placed it in front of him, he could see it was from the local superstore photo department. He looked at it for a minute, then looked at her.

“Well, open it! It took me hours to dig through all the pictures on my phone, but I think I found the best ones.”

He opened the envelope and drew out the small stack of photos. He laid them out, one by one on the desk, six in total. The first one was familiar. She’d given him a print of this before, for the frame on Cas’ new desk. The first family photo that included Cas, taken at his birthday party. 

The next one had been taken at Billy’s birthday party, Hunter was snuggled into Cas’ lap, and it looked like they were having a pretty serious conversation. He was sitting next to them, and he couldn’t quite describe the look on his own face, he was smiling slightly, but there was something else. He set it next to the first one.

There was a picture of Gabriel, Dean, and Cas looking down at the honey apple pie at Cas' promotion party. Dean grinned. He and Cas were wearing matching expressions of longing, staring down at the pie, and Gabe just looked so damned proud.

There was a picture of Cas and Bobby. Dean had actually taken this one and sent it to Sam and Charlie. They were hunched over the stove, Cas with a spatula in his hand, their faces in profile. He chuckled. He’d snuck in to check on them while they were cooking, and seeing his gruff uncle coaching Cas on how to brown hamburger...he’d had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. He’d snapped the pic and immediately shared it. He laughed at the memory.

He’d taken the next one as well. Cas giving Charlie a piggyback ride from the car to the house. There’d been a particularly wet snowfall that day, and Charlie had arrived for movie night in only flats. The puddle in the driveway had her calling them for a rescue from the driveway. Charlie had her head resting on Cas’ shoulder from behind, and Cas was looking up at her and grinning. He was so glad they’d become so close. 

The final one, though, he had never seen. It must have been taken on one of their movie nights, though he didn’t remember it. He and Cas were stretched out on the couch, Cas tucked into his side with his head on Dean’s chest, and they were sleeping. They were wound tight around each other, Cas’ hand tucked behind Dean’s neck and his own arm resting around Cas’ lower back, their legs tangled together. They looked...peaceful, happy. 

“Sam called me last night and said you were freaking out about having a bunch of Cas’ family over on the same day that Ben was coming to family dinner. I thought, maybe having some new pictures for the mantle would help you remember that there’s a lot of people on your side.”

He looked up at her, and he knew he probably looked sappy as hell. The mantle, and the surrounding bookshelves, were covered in photos of their family, yes, but  _ separately _ . Cas’ family on one side, Dean’s on the other. He’d been...overwhelmed was probably the best word that Dean could think of, when Cas had made the gesture, clearly indicating that the house was Dean’s too. These photos though, they took it a step further. This wasn’t a place where they both lived, it was a  _ home _ that they  _ shared.  _

He set aside the part about Sammy calling her. He supposed the big moose felt like he had some making up to do. He was grateful that Charlie wasn't really making a big deal about it, but had rather just made sure he remembered that his family was always there for him.

“They’re awesome Charlie. Thank you."

~~~

Their brothers, both of them, showed up just as they were finishing dinner on Tuesday night. They hadn’t been expecting anyone, and they’d been startled when the bell rang. Cas gave him that look, the little head tilt with the raised brow, that so clearly communicated curiosity, and Dean chuckled. It was just damned cute.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” He answered the silent question on the way to the door. Cas finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and followed him.

“Hey Deano!” Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder as he walked in. 

Sam just shot him a grin. He set a bag by the door and leaned in for a quick hug. “Thought you might need some help moving furniture around. Gabriel tells me that your monster dining table gets even bigger. We’d have come later in the week, but we couldn’t get our schedules to line up any other time. Hope that’s OK?”

He glanced at Cas. It was on the list (OK, it was on  _ one  _ of his lists), but he wasn’t sure what Cas had planned for the night.

“Thank God! I wasn’t looking forward to dragging all that shit up from the basement on our own.” Cas waved them forward.

Sam laughed. “Yeah, I figured. I wish our house was bigger, it doesn’t seem fair that you guys have to host all of the big family events. On the other hand...I get to go home, and you guys are stuck with the cleanup, so I don’t think I’ll be doing any remodeling any time soon.”

It wasn’t true, they were rarely left with anything to do after their family had visited. Everyone pitched in and the house was generally set to rights before anyone left. Plus, Dean loved having his family in his space.

When they’d gotten their coats and shoes squared away, Cas led them down to the basement and into the storage space. Sam, having never seen this part of the house, whistled softly.

“Geez, I’d love to have a full gym. My treadmill is wedged behind my desk in our spare bedroom, and I always feel like I’m running to try to escape the ugly bedspread.” When they moved into the unfinished space, he stopped to look around. “You could have a full apartment down here. Would be a nice source of income if you could find a good renter.”

Cas just nodded as he started moving a pile of dusty sheets. “Yeah, I’ve considered it. It’s hard to find the right person though.” Dean couldn’t read the look that was thrown in his direction. “Probably wouldn’t win the lottery twice.” He’d finally uncovered what looked like a mountain of dark wood. “OK, I’m not sure we’ll need all of it, but we can count as we go.”

They made short work of hauling the table leaves and most of the folding chairs upstairs. Getting the table repositioned elicited more than a few grunts, and one bruised elbow, but in the end, they were looking at a table set for eighteen, just as Cas had said. Sam raised his finger and went to retrieve the bag he’d set down when he came in.

“Eileen says this is the longest tablecloth she could find. Not sure if it’s long enough, but we’ll just have to see.” He grabbed one end of the fabric and, rather unsuccessfully, flung the rest down the length of the table. Gabe laughed at him, but helped him get it straightened out.

“There we have it folks, a dining table big enough for the whole gang.”

~~~

It was coming together. The house was essentially ready for the big weekend, but there was one thing left glaring up at him from that particular to do list. He tapped it with the tip of his pen and grimaced.

“What about the bedrooms?”

He would deny until his dying day that the noise he made was a squeak. Cas was on his tiptoes, reading over his shoulder, and the voice in his ear had been startling. 

“Coupla things. First, I assume that you’re going to put Anna and Ishim in the guest room, but where are the girls sleeping?”

Cas didn't answer, but instead dragged him down the hall to the den. Dean hadn’t really spent much time in here, only occasionally dropping off a refill to Cas’ coffee while he was sorting through their household bills. He stopped at the door while Cas continued into the room. Dean watched, a little confused, as Cas pulled the cushion off of one of the wide arm chairs.

“I got these specifically for this purpose. I hadn’t decided what I was going to do with your bedroom yet, and I wanted the kids to be close to their parents, so…”

He unfolded the mattress from the chair easily. 

“Huh. Didn’t even know they made hide-a-beds that size.”

“Apparently so. They’re not the most comfortable, but the kids don’t seem to notice.” 

Dean moved to unfold the other mattress, and Cas started digging around in the bottom of the closet. His voice was muffled when he spoke. “Plus, it’s convenient to have them in with their toys, especially when they were younger. They used to get up at the ass crack of dawn, and Anna would make them stay in here and play quietly until at least seven.”

He popped up with a stack of linens, and Dean helped him get the beds made up. The cushions found a home in the bottom of the closet. When they were finished, there wasn’t a whole lot of floor space left, but it would definitely suffice for the weekend.

“Is that all you were worried about?”

_ Intuitive little shit _ . Dean took a deep breath. “Well…”

Cas came over and gave him a chaste kiss on his temple. “Tell me what’s going on in there.”

“I was just thinking...about the whole  _ boyfriend _ thing.” Cas just hummed questioningly.  _ OK, just get on with it Winchester.  _ “Will it be weird if we sleep in the same room, but we have to go to the other room to grab clothes?”

A little crease appeared between Cas’ eyebrows. “Huh. Hadn’t thought about that.”

“I mean, we normally kind of alternate-”

“Dean, the only time we stay in my bedroom is when you’re running low on condoms.” A huff a laughter escaped him. He actually hadn’t noticed the pattern until Cas pointed it out so bluntly. “Your mattress is way better.”

He couldn’t deny that. Cas might have a cushy pillow top, but Dean’s memory foam won hands down. “Anyway, I was thinking we might at least want to give the appearance of sharing one room.”

Cas nodded, and it was Dean’s turn to tug him down the hallway.

“What do you think? Remake the bed and move some clothes?” Looking at it now, Cas’ room really didn’t look all that lived in, with the exception of the hamper in the corner and a few odds and ends on the dresser.

“Hamper too.” Cas seemed to be giving the room the same once over. He moved around, gathering up his badge and watch from the dresser top and a photo from the table in the corner. When he moved to leave the room, Dean grabbed the hamper and followed him across the hall. 

Cas deposited the frame next to the one Dean already had in place in his own little sitting area, and set the rest of his stuff into a small pile next to the change bowl on Dean’s dresser. Dean plopped the hamper down next to his double hamper. He pointed down at Cas’ hamper, then the other. “Normal clothes, greasy garage clothes, and germy hospital clothes.”

Cas laughed. “Perfect.”

Dean pulled open a few of his drawers. “Never actually had enough clothes to fill these up. Probably didn’t need two dressers in the first place, but they looked so nice together.” He shrugged.

They made short work of getting a chunk of Cas’ wardrobe relocated, and when they were done, Dean flopped into the chair and pulled Cas down into his lap. His lover, his  _ landlord _ , didn’t seem to make much of it, but for Dean, it made everything feel so much more  _ real _ . Like they weren’t just housemates that fucked, but were  _ living _ together. He took a minute to reel in his emotions before he grinned at Cas.

“So, boyfriend, are you ready for this?” He nuzzled into that spot behind Cas' ear that they both loved.

Cas' nose wrinkled up, and he shoved Dean's away slightly. “Ugh, that’s so awkward. You made your point. We don’t have to make a big show of it.”

That hadn’t been Dean’s aim at all, but he pushed away his disappointment. Of course Cas wasn’t as affected by seeing their stuff mixed together as he was. This was an  _ act _ for his family. Regardless of what he might want, after this weekend, they’d be back to normal. Just friends...

He stood up abruptly, only just managing to keep from dumping Cas on the floor with his action. Time to get back the evening back on track, he'd save his wallowing for some other time.

“Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we're all waiting for the big family dinner, but do you even know how much work there is to be done before we get there? There's grocery shopping, and menu planning, and...
> 
> You've seen how Dean gets when he gets anxious, if you think back to his moving day prep. Just imagine how much *more* it would be when he's getting ready to stuff meeting more of Cas' family AND Ben's first family dinner in five years into one freakin' weekend. Yup. Our bean is a basket case.


	21. Easter Does It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Easter with the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This work was inspired by DeanandCasBingo on Tumblr. Chapters for prompt fills will be marked, this isn't one of them. :)  
> \- Tags will be added and/or changed as we move forward.  
> \- I'm still pretty new to sharing my writing, but people seem to like it, so I guess I'll keep doing it.  
> \- I'm writing Cas' version of this at the same time, posted as "Another Responsible Adult" in case you missed it. I highly recommend reading them in alternating chapters rather than separately.  
> \- No beta, all mistakes are mine. Unfortunately, I don't own the characters, but I can dream.

_ Take a deep breath. _

He was nervous, he could admit that. It wasn’t because he was concerned that the people on the other side of their front door weren’t perfectly nice, but because he desperately wanted them to like him.

The bell rang for a second time, and Cas gave his shoulder a squeeze as he moved around him to answer it. He greeted his sister with quick hug and ushered them into the entryway. Dean plastered a smile on his face and helped to take their coats while they chatted about the three hour drive.

Cas came to stand beside him, and let his hand rest on Dean’s lower back, his thumb stroking ever so lightly. Clearly, his smile was not fooling his lover. They made it through introductions without a fumble, and much as he’d predicted, they were soon moving luggage into bedrooms and settling down. When Cas suggested a movie, however, Anna suggested that they use the quiet time to catch up while the girls watch a movie.

They were prepared for this, had discussed how to handle all of the questions he figured his sister might have. Well, he  _ thought _ they had.

“So, how did you guys get together?”

Firm answer, they’d decided to go with the truth. “Actually, I had posted an ad for a housemate-”

“No, I know that part, Gabe filled me in. I mean, how did you guys end up  _ dating? _ ”

They had not covered this. They’d figured that Cas’ sister would be satisfied with a little meet-cute and they’d move on.  _ Not so much _ .

“Well, it just kind of happened I guess.” Cas seemed hesitant now. How did you turn a couple of drunken confessions into falling in love?

“Well, I knew I had a crush on your brother by the time I moved in.” They’d decided to be honest, so he’d be honest. “He was easy to talk to, we had a lot in common in our backgrounds, and he volunteered to go furniture shopping with me to keep me from being bored to tears. He even let my family invade on moving day, and hosted like a champ.”

Cas looked at him with a combination of shock and happiness, but he didn’t chime in, so Dean continued. “But it was my birthday party that cemented it, I think. He planned a surprise party for me, and invited my entire family. He had  _ pie _ . That’s when I knew this would be something important. I mean, first, nobody’s planned me a party in a really long time. But not only that, he didn’t just order a cake. He had Gabe make miniatures of all of my favorite pies. He just...he made sure it was perfect for _me_.”

“So you asked him out?”

“Not right then.” Cas had evidently decided it was his turn. “Not until Valentine’s day. He took me to this great little restaurant, I have no idea how he even got reservations, and fed me good food. I think it was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“And that’s it, you’ve just been together ever since?”

They shrugged in unison. That pretty much  _ was _ it. “We fit.”

Anna leaned back in her chair and smiled. “I heard you spoil him rotten.”

Cas leaned back and groaned. “Gabe…”

“I don’t spoil him any more than he spoils me. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not all daisies and butterflies.” Dean leaned forward conspiratorially, “Don’t get me started on how he gets if you forget to squeegee the shower…” He shook his head.

“That was one time!” Cas slapped his shoulder and they all laughed.

With the mood lightened, they moved onto safer topics, their jobs, how the kids were doing in school, and the various members of Dean’s family that would be coming over for the holiday meal.

“Gabriel didn’t mention that you had a son.”

“Probably because he didn’t know. They haven’t met yet.” Cas’ tone made it clear that it was a touchy topic.

“I’m sorry. I’m nosy.”

“It’s OK, really. I only introduced him to Cas a couple of weeks ago. There was a lot of tension in the family about how we handled the custody arrangements, so…” Cas squeezed his thigh under the table. 

Anna waved it off. “It’s really none of my business. I’m just happy to be able to meet him.”

“Mom! Abby’s hogging the popcorn.”

“Oh dear Lord.” Anna’s over-the top eye roll and sigh broke the tension and Cas used it as an excuse to move them all into the living room to join the girls. They were back on track. Snuggling on the couch was so much easier than making conversation.

~~~

Saturday was spent much closer to their normal routine than Dean could have hoped, aside from putting on a rather adorable and domestic display for Cas’ sister first thing in the morning, and skipping out on yoga. When Cas had taken their laundry downstairs after breakfast, Anna had cornered him in the kitchen.

“Two things, then I’ll leave you be. First, thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my baby brother this happy. You guys are good for each other, and I think he’s really needed to have more family around. Second, if you hurt him, I  _ will _ hunt you down.”

“Listen, if that ever happened, you’d have to stand in line. My family adores him.They’d have my head if I did something stupid. Besides, I can’t imagine what I’d do without him.” All true, and evidently enough to satisfy the woman. 

“I believe you. I can’t get over how different you are from...anyway. I’m glad he found you.”

He could hear Cas coming back up the stairs, and Anna must have too, because she changed the topic abruptly. “We’re taking the girls to see that new cartoon movie this afternoon. I know how much work goes into putting together a family dinner. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“We’ve had my family over a few times, but this is the first time we’ve had this many people at once. Fortunately, other people are pitching in. Your brother is bringing desserts, of course, but some of my family are bringing things too, so I think we’ve got it covered. I might change my mind tomorrow though, once people start showing up.”

Grocery shopping had become something they did together since Cas’ schedule change, and their list was longer than usual today. Dean was grateful that he’d thought to pre-order the ham. By the time they had everything home and put away, Cas’ family had returned, and it was nearly dinner time. Despite his minute-by-minute planning of Sunday, they hadn’t really talked about Saturday plans. 

“I kind of thought we’d just go to the Roadhouse. I hadn’t considered…” Cas trailed off with a shrug.

Dean wasn’t sure what Cas hadn’t considered, but he liked the idea. Not only would it be a comfortable way for them to meet some of his family before tomorrow, it meant he didn’t have to cook. He nodded at Cas. “My family owns a bar-restaurant in town, and it’s kind of mandatory that we go there for dinner on the weekends. They’ve got great burgers.”

“Hmmm. Burgers.” Ishim’s comment earned him a swat in the stomach from his wife, but she didn’t disagree.

“It sounds perfect. No sense in messing up the kitchen, especially if it’s something you guys normally do. Besides, as my husband to eloquently noted, who can turn down a good burger?”

~~~

He’d forgotten to set his damned alarm clock. 

The sun was shining brightly into their bedroom window, and he sat up, panicking immediately, and trying to dig his way out of bed. His frantic motions woke Cas, who grumbled and rolled over before sitting up just as Dean finally flailed his way out of the tangle of sheets and blankets.

“Time is it?” They both glanced at the clock at Cas’ question. 9:38! 

“We overslept. Jesus, I have to get the ham in the oven or it won’t be ready for dinner.” Dean never overslept. Even on the weekends, he was up by seven at the latest, alarm clock or not. After so many years of early mornings, his body didn’t even give him the option. Evidently, his internal alarm made exceptions for days when their entire freakin’ family was coming over for dinner.

The sound of loud laughter had them both looking at the door. That had sounded distinctly like Charlie. 

“Charlie?” Cas looked at him quizzically. 

“What the hell is going on out there?”

Cas started mumbling under his breath about their family not knowing how to tell time, and Dean, still in his pajamas, went to see for himself what his friend was doing in his house.

When he reached the end of the hall, he came to an abrupt stop. He wasn’t sure where to start, there were voices coming from both the living room and the kitchen. Cas, who’d been following him, grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the kitchen. “We’re gonna need coffee for this.”

_ That’s an understatement. _ Jody and Donna were leaning comfortably against the kitchen side of the bar talking to Anna, Eileen, and Charlie who were sitting opposite them. The women were holding mugs of coffee, and if he hadn’t known better, he’d never have guessed that Anna was new to their family. She looked completely at ease, a wide smile on her face. 

“Well good morning! We were just debating who should come wake you up. There’s a fresh pot of coffee.” Jody waved toward the pot as she said it.

“You’re here.”  _ Thank you Captain Obvious _ . He knew it was a dumb thing to say, but his brain wasn’t really awake enough for this yet, despite his adrenaline surge.

“Yup. Figured you might need some help, so we came early. Apparently everyone had the same idea.”

“Everyone?” Cas’ voice was more of a squeak than his normal rumble, and Dean felt marginally less alone in his alarm, the grip on his hand tightened.

Donna waved them toward the island, and turned toward the coffee pot. “You look like you’re about to pass out. Go sit down before you tip over.”

He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or Cas, but they followed the direction, mindlessly settling into their seats. Dean took a sip of his coffee before he had the courage to repeat Cas’ question. “You said everyone’s here?”

“Well, not quite.”

“Gabriel’s been here since seven. He brought muffins.” Anna slid a plate their direction.

“Donna and I got here a little after eight. We started on your list.”

“My list?”

Donna picked up a piece of paper and waved it at him. “Got the carrots peeled and the ham in the oven. That glaze is yummy. I’m stealing the recipe.”

“Sam and Ishim are in the living room talking about running. Thank God he finally found a kindred soul. Your brother can talk about training routines for hours.” The little shudder Eileen threw in for dramatic effect was offset by her grin.

“Ellen and Donna are out on the deck with the kids. They brought over Easter baskets for all of them, Ben too. I wish I’d have thought of it, but we’ve got Easter eggs for a hunt later.” Eileen said.   


“Ben’s here?” Holy shit, he’d meant to be around to ease his kid into things, fucking terrible parent. Cas’ hand was on his thigh now, squeezing gently. 

“Not yet. I meant they’d brought a basket for him.” His sister in-law-clarified. “It’s just him and Bobby left though. When’s Ben supposed to be here?”

The doorbell, even at a normal volume, startled him enough to slosh his coffee on the counter. 

“Now.” Cas sighed. They stood at the same time and moved toward the door. Sam had already answered it, and was hugging the teen tightly. Dean honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Ben laughed when Sam finally released him and he saw them standing there. He looked down at his jeans and sweater and cocked an eyebrow. “I feel overdressed. You didn’t tell me this was a pajama party Dad.”

“We forgot to set an alarm, and nobody bothered to wake us up.” Ben had moved in to give them hugs as Cas spoke.

“C’mon man, let them go shower and put some clothes on. Your dad said you got into the M.E.A.T. program at Lawrence, and I wanna hear more. Have you picked a sponsor shop yet? I bet Singer could do it.”

Ben waved at them over his shoulder as Sam dragged him into the living room, leaving Dean and Cas staring after him.

“What the hell is going on?” Dean was pretty sure he was dreaming, that was the only way he could explain the way his morning was going.

“I don’t know, but I’d like to have real clothes on before we encounter more of our family.” Cas turned and headed for their room. Dean shook his head and followed.

“Cas, you saw that, right?”

“Which part? The part where Jody and Donna have taken over the kitchen? The part where Eileen and Anna and Charlie are best friends now? The part where Gabriel  _ didn’t _ tease us for oversleeping? The part where Sam called you dad and dragged your kid off to talk about college?”

“Ummm…yes?”

“Yeah, fucking twilight zone. I have no idea what’s going on, but nobody’s fighting and there’s no awkward silence, so I’ll take it.”

That was exactly it. He flopped into the chair in the corner and stared at the ceiling. Dean had been prepared for awkward conversations and tension. He had not been prepared for whatever the hell was going on out there, their families just meshing together seamlessly and Ben coming back like he’d never been gone. He had no clue…

“Dean.”

“Hmm?” Cas set the clothes he was holding on the dresser before walking over to squish in next to him in the chair.

“Babe, good things do happen.”

“But, they-”

“No, listen. Think about it, if you had been awake, would it really surprise you that our family showed up hours early?”

Dean shook his head. That was pretty much par for the course at this point.

“And if your family can accept Gabe, is it really a surprise that they did the same for Anna and Ishim and the girls?”

Dean shook his head again, then snuggled into Cas’ shoulder for a second. He had a good point, he probably wouldn’t have been surprised by any of it if he’d seen it happen. Except, “But Sam…”

Cas wiggled until he could get his arms around Dean, and tugged him close. “Well, that could have gone either way I suppose, but he’s a good guy. I’m guessing that by the time he left here last weekend, he was starting to really think about, well, everything. How hard he was on you, what he missed out on, what it was like for you to keep Ben separate from the rest of the family all these years… and I’m betting that Eileen didn’t go easy on him either. She was pretty pissed about the whole thing.”

“But…” He didn’t know where he was going with the thought, really, it just felt like something wasn’t quite right.

“Babe, I know you thought this would be a disaster, but good things do happen.”

_ Not to me. _ But that wasn’t right. Cas was definitely a good thing, and everything else just seemed so much better since he’d come into Dean’s life.

“You’re a good thing.” He meant to say it teasingly, but it came out sounding about as sappy as it made him feel.

Cas grinned at him and stood up pulling Dean up as well. “You’re a good thing. Now come on. I wanna see if we can sneak into the shower without anyone noticing.”

~~~

It was definitely not what he’d expected to happen, Ben on his right talking excitedly to Bobby about coming to work in the shop and Cas on his left listening intently to Billy explain the best way to go about looking for Easter eggs, their family laughing and talking and eating. Even in his most hopeful moments, he hadn’t imagined this. 

It wasn’t perfect. The carrots were still a little crunchy and he’d forgotten to swap the pans of macaroni and cheese, so one was darker than he’d normally like it, but everyone was happy. He let his hand rest on Cas’ knee, and got a smile in return. 

He wanted this. He wanted this every Easter and Christmas. He wanted family barbecues on the Fourth of July and Labor Day. He wanted movie nights, lazy Saturdays, and burgers at the Roadhouse. He wanted shared dinners and nights on the couch and...Cas. He wanted life with Cas. He wanted Cas by his side. Not as his friend or landlord or whatever they were now. He wanted more. 

He was starting to think that maybe they could have that. Sitting at a table with all the people he loved, and some he was just starting to get to know, it seemed easy. If they could make this work without even trying, then maybe they could keep it working.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I didn't intend to take a break, but life is sometimes not what you expect. Long story short, I've moved into the new house (NO, it was not smooth sailing like Dean's move. My new garage currently houses 98% of my belongings, and I don't have a microwave.) and working on that takes up a crap ton of time. I'm happy to be back, but it's slow going, so I'm gonna shoot for a chapter a week or so, and make no promises. I'll not be offended at all if you wait til I'm done to read again. I actually almost waited until I was done to post again, but who knows when that will be, and your feedback really motivates my writing. Missed you guys!! I'm SO SORRY!


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